Broken Howl
by Suna-Scribbles
Summary: Takai is a young female wolf. As she flees the scene of a great battle she stumbles upon the village of Konoha. After taking up temporary residence there, Takai finds an unlikely friend, Naruto. Watch what happens. This IS a Naruto Wolf's Rain crossover.
1. Flight to safety

Koinu: Hello everyone! I'm Koinu, the authur of this FanFic, and I don't own Naruto or Wolf's Rain. But I do own Takai, she's my character, and I don't want anybody taking her without my permision, got it?

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The mournful howl of a lone wolf broke the silence of the night. Soon, it was accompanied by the melancholy voices of three other wolves. Takai would have given anything to howl along with those wolves, to fight alongside them, but she couldn't. She had promised them that she would take Cheza to safety. The young female wolf heard gunshots in the distance and prayed that her friends, her pack, were still alive.:Oh please, please, let them come out of this alive. Kiba, Hige, Toboe, Tsume, don't you dare die on me. Remember, Cheza and I will be waiting: 

_"Takai, I want you to take Cheza and find a safe place to stay." Kiba said sternly. "If anything happens to us, you have to keep her away from the Nobles."_

_Takai looked around helplessly. She couldn't believe that they were doing this to her. "No…no," She complained, "no, I want to fight with you! Tsume, you're on my side, tell him that I should fight with you!" Tsume just shook his head. Takai looked at the others; they all had sad expressions on their faces. "No, you can't all give up! You can't just say 'look, I'm gonna die' and not do anything about it! I won't let you! I'm gonna fight with you, and we're going to win!"_

_"Takai, when we allowed you to come with us to paradise, you said that you would repay us somehow." Kiba dropped a sleeping Cheza into Takai's arms. "Well, this is it."_

Takai fought back tears as she ran. If she cried she might awake the sleeping Cheza, who was cradled gently in her arms. She knew that there had to be a town somewhere, it was just a matter of time till she found one. Even in her human form, Takai kept her keen ears, eyes, and nose alert to anything that might mean danger, or salvation. After some time, Takai caught a familiar scent, the scent of a metropolis. A smile tugged at her lips despite her fear and grief, and she urged her legs to move faster. Yet, in her haste, she failed to notice a tree root that lay in her path. She tripped over the root, but still managed to turn on her side, sheltering Cheza from harm as she skidded along the ground. Takai fell hard, and by the time she had stopped sliding her whole side was torn-up and bleeding. She cringed in pain as it made its presence known, and gently placed Cheza on the ground beside her. Takai thanked the stars when she continued to sleep peacefully, oblivious to what was happening around her. Sitting up, Takai gingerly placed a hand on her side. Her shirt was torn, and through it she could feel her warm blood as it seeped out of her body, but she was relived to find that she had no serious injuries. "Well… what do we have here?" The masculine voice said from within the shadows. Surprised, Takai whipped her head around to locate the speaker.

"Who are you?" She growled accusingly, her voice dripping with malice.

"It's okay," The voice said, "I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Iruka."

Takai responded with a low growl.

Iruka ignored her lack of a comment. "Can I ask why you're running through the forest at this time of night?" He asked.

Takai's voice became quiet, and she stuttered as she searched for the right response. "My… my clan was attacked… I don't know if anyone else survived… so far its just Cheza, and me…"

Iruka jumped down from his perch in a nearby tree. The sudden motion, plus the sound of his feet touching the ground nearby, caused Cheza to stir. Takai put a reassuring hand on the sleeping maiden's shoulder, who in turn, fell back into a quiet sleep.

"That's too bad…" Iruka said, "Well… I might be able to find a place for you to stay… if you agree to tell me your name."

Takai looked up. Iruka was standing right above her, so close. Was he unable to see that she was a wolf? Was he not able to see the danger she represented? Was he so oblivious that he was unable to see all the vulnerable places he was showing her, those few places that she could have used to kill him in an instant?

"M-my name," She finally stammered out, "my name is Takai."

:Death: Iruka pondered in his head. :Why would her name mean death: He shook his head and pushed the issue to the back of his mind. Lots of people had strange names. Kakashi, for instance, meant 'Scarecrow'. This name was just a little stranger. Sighing, he bent down and picked up the girl that Takai had addressed a 'Cheza'. She was surprisingly light; it was as if the girl didn't weigh anything at all!

"I…ah…" Takai tried to protest.

"Don't worry, I won't drop her." Iruka said over his shoulder. "Now come on, we've got to get you bandaged up!"

Takai let out a sigh and got to her feet, if this Iruka character was going to carry Cheza, then so be it. As long as he didn't try anything, she was more than happy to be burdenless.

Iruka led her through the forest for a few minutes, and Takai allowed her mind to wander. Finally, it landed on the subject of her pack. What she had told Iruka wasn't a complete lie; her pack had been attacked, she and Cheza had fled, and she didn't know if anyone had survived other than the two of them.

Without Takai noticing a small town came into view. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she nearly ran into Iruka.

"Welcome," Iruka stated, "welcome to Konoha village, also known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves!" He led the way through the village, with Takai following blindly. She had no reason to stay here very long, so therefore she had no reason to memorize every street and alleyway.

Finally, Iruka stopped in front of a small building.

"Here we are." He said as he somehow opened the door without dropping Cheza. He led the way through house and stopped before small room. "This is the guest room," He explained, "bathrooms' right down the hall." He then set Cheza down on the bed. "I'll be back in a sec, I'm just going to get some bandages for your wounds."

Takai sat down on the end of the bed where Cheza lay, contemplating what to do if Iruka suddenly decided she was a threat and tried to kill her.

:No: She thought. :I don't think he would have lead me all the way here if he was just going to kill me. But… If I had to… it would be but a simple matter to kill him:

Just then, Iruka walked back into the room, carrying some bandages.

"Here," He said as he handed her the bandages, "You can go clean yourself up in the bathroom, unless yo-."

"I'm fine." Takai interrupted. Walking by him she accidentally brushed shoulders with Iruka. She felt him shiver at her touch, but continued to stride down the hall towards the bathroom. After entering, she shut the door behind her and locked it. Taking off her shirt she washed her side with some water from the faucet and then wrapped the bandages around her torso tightly. She then splashed some water on her face to get rid of the sweat that covered it.

Finished, she lifted her head and caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Staring back at her was a young girl, maybe only fourteen or fifteen years old. Her hair was an unruly blond mess, and her blue green eyes reflected the fear and anguish she felt inside. Despite herself, Takai chuckled. Of all things, why did she have to be cursed with having blond hair? Because of it, no one took her seriously. Why couldn't it be the glossy black color of her fur when she was in wolf form?

Replacing her shirt, Takai stepped out of the bathroom and quietly walked back towards the room where she was staying. Somewhere in the house, she was able to hear Iruka mumble something about seeing Lord Hokage. Silently, she opened the door to the bedroom. Upon entering, she was able to tell that Cheza was awake.

"Takai?" The maiden asked softly.

"Yes?"

"Do you think the others are okay?"

Takai paused before answering. "I bet their fine. It'll take more than a few Nobles and their armies to get rid them. Now get some sleep, it's… well… jeez, I don't even know what time it is!"

Cheza smiled weakly, and lay back down on the bed. Takai waited till the maiden's breathing had become slow and even before she moved out of the doorway. Seeing that there was only one bed, Takai lay down on the floor next to it and curled up. But, even though the house was warm, she still felt cold without the bodies of her friends around her. Somehow, about a half-hour later, Takai drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

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The next morning Takai awoke to find Cheza gently stoking her head.

"Good morning!" Cheza said happily.

"NO! FIVE MORE MINUTES!" Takai complained.

"Good, your awake!" Iruka said, popping his head into the room. Takai cursed under her breath and would have thrown something at Iruka if she had anything to throw. "There are some clothes for you in the bathroom, but you can wear what you have on if you want." He then left. Grumpy from waking up, Takai pulled herself off the ground. She then walked to the bathroom with Cheza following behind her.

Closing the door behind her and Cheza, Takai notice the cloths Iruka had been talking about sitting on the counter. She sifted through them, ignoring anything that looked like a dress, and finally picked some baggy camo pants and a blood red shirt. She also grabbed a shawl for Cheza. After dawning her new outfit, she and Cheza walked out of the bathroom towards the front door, where Iruka was waiting for them.

"Okay, now that you're ready, we're going to see the Lord Hokage about your situation." Iruka said. Once again, he then led the two girls through the city. Eventually they ended up outside a large building. The three of them entered, with Iruka leading the way, and walked down a corridor until Iruka stopped outside one of the doors.

"Um, Iruka," Takai started, "is it okay if Cheza stays out here? She gets upset easily, and she was asleep for most of the time, so… um…"

Iruka gave her a skeptical look, but then shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll be back soon, 'kay?" Takai said to Cheza. The girl shook her head, smiled, and then sat down in one of the chairs that lined the corridor. Takai winked and followed Iruka into the room.

"Hello Lord Hokage," Iruka said, "this is the girl I was telling you about before."

"Takai, I presume? Yes, I've heard a lot about you." The Lord Hokage said. "Now, what brings you to our village?"

Takai took in a deep breath. "Well, like I told Iruka, my clan was attacked and-." The Hokage cut her off.

"Show me your true form." He demanded.

Takai pretended to be confused. "I don't know what you're talking about-."

"I'm not blind, girl, now show me your true form!" The Hokage said in a louder voice.

Takai sighed. "Fine." She said quietly. She dropped the illusion, and there she stood, a large, midnight black wolf. She cast her golden eyes to the ground, yet kept her muscles tense and prepared to make a run for it. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a kunai coming at her. She tried to dodge, but it found a home deep in her shoulder. Wounded, Takai fell to the ground, whimpering, while lying in a pool of her own crimson blood.

Suddenly, Iruka was standing over her, another kunai dangerously close to her throat.

"Who… No… What are you!" He yelled. Behind him Takai could hear Cheza banging on the door. The flower maiden obviously knew that Takai had been injured.

"I am a wolf," Takai managed to say, "my name is Burakku Takai, but those of your kind who have wished to kill me and gotten away alive know me as 'The Black Death', since attacking me or the people I love usually means the death of the attacker." Takai growled menacingly. "But I guess you figured that out when I told you my name was Takai, the Japanese word for Death." Takai paused for a moment. "And by the look on your face, you've figured out that my last name means death."

"Iruka, calm yourself." Lord Hokage advised. "Indeed it surprise's me that Takai is a wolf, seeing as her kind is supposed to be extinct, but I still wish to ask her something."

Takai was allowed to sit-up, yet she still kept her ears pinned flat against her head and lifted her lip in a threatening snarl. But she kept her attention on the Hokage, to hear if what he had to say was worth letting him live.

"I was wondering if you would like to enroll as a student at our ninja academy. I don't think Cheza has much of a future as a ninja, but you… I believe that you have potential." He looked at her hopefully. "What do you say?"

"Well…um…" Takai was taken a-back, and as of that moment didn't have the slightest idea of what she should say. She looked at Iruka, who, by the confused look on his face, didn't seem to have any idea that this was what the Hokage had been planning. "I guess so… but," Takai got to her feet and looked the Hokage straight in the eye, "if my friends come for me, then I will leave, no matter what you do or say to stop me. I will not be imprisoned here!"

"Then it's settled. Iruka, find this girl a place to stay and then give her a tour of the village." The Hokage said, smiling.

Takai changed back into her human form. She gripped the kunai in her shoulder with her left hand, and with a sudden jerk, pulled it out of her shoulder. Without anything in its way, her blood flowed freely and was soon dripping down her arm and making it's way down her back. Without instruction, she turned and followed Iruka as he continued out of the room.

Almost immediately upon exiting, Cheza confronted Takai about the wound.

"You're hurt! Here, let this one heal you…" Cheza said in a worried tone.

"I'm fine Cheza." Takai said as she held Cheza back. "It's nothing serious, really, I'm fine." She gave Cheza a small smile to show that she was telling the truth. She looked to where Iruka had been only to see that he was already a ways away. "Wait up Iruka!" She yelled as she took Cheza's hand and started running. When they finally caught up, Iruka turned to the two of them.

"From now on you will address me as 'Master' or 'Sensei', got it?"

Cheza and Takai stopped, baffled by his sternness. After a few seconds of blank stares being exchanged, Takai smiled a cocky smile.

"You're going to have to put up with Sensei, cause I refuse to address anyone as Master." Takai clenched her fists, but not in rage. "I'm no dog! Got it!" She glared at him, but mischief played in her eyes, making it seem as if she where just toying with Iruka. Suddenly a dripping sound could be heard. Startled, Takai looked down at her arm and saw her blood running down it.

"Takai!" Cheza screamed as she ran over to Takai's shoulder and began to heal it. She was soon finished, but Takai gave her a stern look.

"You didn't need to do that you know." Takai said wearily. She saw a vein appear on Cheza's neck and became worried.

"Oh… that… sorry." Iruka interrupted.

Takai turned to look at him. "It's okay, I've had worse. And it's not like you were really trying to kill me… right?"

Iruka chuckled. "No, I guess I wasn't." With that he turned away and started leading the way through the village again. This time though, Takai paid more attention to it. But it wasn't long before her keen ears caught the sound of angry voices. Trusting her instincts, Takai stuck her leg out, just in time to trip a boy clad all in orange.

"What the hell?" The blond haired boy yelled. He then looked up, his blue eyes landing on Iruka. "Ahhhhh, Master Iruka! It wasn't me, I swear!"

"Naruto…? What exactly did you do this time?" Iruka said to the boy.

Soon an angry looking man came into view.

"Hey you! Get back here and pay for that Ramen!" The man yelled.

"Naruto!" Iruka sounded angry. Naruto bowed his head, mumbled something about how life wasn't fair, and then went over to the angry man.

Iruka shook his head. "When will he learn…?" he sighed. He then turned to the two girls who seemed befuddled by the whole situation. "Shall we continue?" He said to them. Takai shook her head in agreement, while Cheza continued to watch what was happening to the boy named Naruto.

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Eventually the trio ended up in front of an empty house on the edge of the village.

"After you." Iruka said quietly. Takai pushed open the door to reveal a living area. Beyond the living area was a kitchen, and there were also two main hallways leading from the living room to other parts of the house.

"This is cool." Takai said as she looked around. She then looked back at Iruka who was standing in the entryway.

"School starts Monday so I'll be back later with some supplies for you and to give you a tour of the village. But for now I'll give you some time to get settled in.

Takai looked at him and smile, maybe the humans' here weren't so bad.

"Thank you… Iruka Sensei!"

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Koinu: So, how'd ya like it? Please review, and thanks for reading.


	2. Deaths

Koinu: Hi everyone! I'm back with the second chapter of Broken Howl, thanks to all those who reviewed. In one review, it came to my attention that I was making Iruka seem kinda cold, and I'm sorry. Iruka isn't one of my favorite characters, but he does play an important role in this story so I had to manipulate himand make himdo and say things he wouldn't usually say or do.

Once again, I do not own Naruto or Wolf's Rain, although I wish I did.

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Takai waved good-by as Iruka walked away. Once he was out of sight she shut the door behind her and looked around the room, searching for Cheza. She was nowhere to be found. Frantically, Takai ran into the kitchen area.

In the kitchen, there was nothing more than a table, fridge, and a counter that also doubled as a bar, but no Cheza.

:Damn it! The guys will kill me if I lose her: Takai fumed silently. She growled and decided to resort to good old-fashioned yelling.

"Cheza! Cheza where are you! This isn't funny Cheza!" Takai screamed as she ran down one of the hallways. About four yards down, she made a sharp left and found herself in a huge bedroom. In the bedroom was a king-sized bed, and jumping up and down on the bed, was Cheza.

Cheza giggled, "Takai! This is fun! Can this one have this room?"

Takai let out a sigh of relief before answering. "Fine," She said, "but no more disappearing like that, the guys would kill me if I lost you."

Cheza stopped jumping and sat down on the bed. "When do you think they'll come?" She asked.

"I don't really know… Heck, for all I know that battle is still raging." Takai looked at the ground, "I… I just wish they would have let me stay and fight with them."

Cheza got off the bed and walked over to where Takai was standing. She wrapped her arms around the wolf and pulled her into a hug. The two stayed like that for a while, but then Takai pulled away.

"Thanks Cheza." She said quietly. Cheza smiled, and then went back to the bed. Takai laughed silently and then walked off down a different hallway. She absentmindedly let her hand brush against the wall as she walked. Suddenly, a door slid open, causing Takai to jump.

"Stupid sliding doors…" Takai mumbled to herself. She walked through the door and found herself in a medium sized room. Other than a small bed in one corner, the room was completely empty. However, there was a sliding glass door that opened up to the forest. If need be, Takai could run right from this room into the safety of the forest.

"And this… will be my room." Takai thought out loud. All of a sudden, Takai heard someone knocking on the front door. She quickly sniffed the air, and was immediately able to tell that the visitor was Iruka.

"You can come in!" She yelled. She stuck her head out of her room just in time to see Iruka enter carrying all sorts of ninja tools. She skirted out of the way as he entered the room and dropped the equipment onto the bed.

"That ought to do it." Iruka said with a sigh. "So, you ready for that tour I promised you?"

"Um… sure." Takai said, eyeing all the sharp, pointy, weapons laying on her bed. Together, the two walked out of the room.

"I'll be back later, okay Cheza!" Takai yelled before she exited the house.

The only response she got was a quick 'bye' and some laughter as Cheza resumed her game of jumping on the bed.

-----2 weeks later-----

Takai has been enrolled as a student at the ninja academy for almost two weeks. None of the students know about her being a wolf, although some tease her about being as stealthy as one. She has almost mastered the art of stealth and silence, but for some reason cannot even use the simplest of jutsu's. Iruka has a theory that her inability to use any jutsu's is due to the fact that she is a wolf, but Takai refuses to give up. Her goal, at the moment, is to earn her headband and become a full-fledged ninja.

Cheza stays at their house while Takai is at school. She has filled the house with various plants, and in her free time wanders the streets of the village looking for new specimens. Neither Takai, nor Cheza fear attacks from Nobles, and for once can live in peace. Although they still wish to continue on to paradise, they have no reason to leave Konoha village until their pack comes for them.

Takai walked down the halls of the academy, once again early for class. She wanted to find Iruka and get in some extra practice before the other students got there. She was deep in thought, and almost collided with Iruka, who was running down the hallway.

"Takai, there you are!" Iruka said, a little out of breath.

"What is it, Iruka sensei?" Takai asked cautiously.

"The Lord Hokage wishes to speak with you and Cheza right away!"

"What! But Cheza's at our house, there's no way-."

In his haste Iruka cut her off. "At you house… Okay, I'll go get her!"

"Wait!" Takai called as Iruka disappeared. "Where am I supposed to go?"

"Just go see the Lord Hokage!" Iruka yelled over his shoulder.

Takai sighed. She was in no mood to speak with the Hokage, but if she had to…

:Now what does he want: She asked herself as she ran out of the building.

After a few minutes of running, Takai found herself in the same hallway she had walked through almost two weeks ago. Subconsciously, she rubbed her shoulder where she had been stabbed with the kunai; this place only held bad memories for her. Cautiously, Takai knocked on the door.

"Come in." Was the muffled reply from within the office. Takai quietly opened the door and then walked to the middle of the room. She bowed slightly in respect.

"You wished to speak with me, Lord Hokage?" She asked in an even tone.

The Hokage avoided her gaze. "Let's wait till Iruka shows up with Cheza, shall we?" As if on cue, Iruka appeared, carrying Cheza in his arms. The young maiden looked slightly confused, and immediately ran up to Takai for security.

"Okay, now that everyone's here, I'm afraid I have some… serious news that I must inform you of." The Hokage began. "Some of our scouts located the area where they believe a battle was fought. There is evidence that your friends were in that battle."

Takai's heart leapt. Her friends, her pack, couldn't be far now.

"Unfortunately," The Hokage continued, "there is no evidence that they survived."

"Are you saying they're… dead…?" Takai said, dumbstruck

"I'm saying that there is nothing that suggests that they are alive. When I got the news, I told them to search the surrounding area for anything, paw prints, blood, a body… there was nothing."

For some reason Takai refused to accept the news of her friends deaths.

"I-I want to see for myself." She said, standing a little taller to show authority.

"I understand." The Hokage turned to address Iruka. "You will accompany her, okay Iruka."

"But what about my students?" The sensei argued.

"We'll get a substitute, now go get ready. The trip itself will not take long, but you should still be prepared for an ambush."

Two hours later, Takai, Cheza, Iruka, and a few other ninjas found themselves drawing nearer to the site of the battle. Takai knew that it hadn't taken her so long to get to Konoha Village, but Iruka insisted on taking things slow. First, they would send a scout a little ways ahead, then wait for the all clear before moving on. This strategy took a long time, but no one complained, at least not out loud.

Takai was the first to become aware of their close proximity to the battlefield. The stench of blood and decay almost overwhelmed her, and she began to feel noxious. She pushed the feeling down; she had experienced worse. As if to prove her point, Takai took a long sniff of the air. She fought back the urge to gag, and sorted through the different scents. There was human blood, lots of it too. To her dismay, she was also able to distinguish the scent of wolf's blood too. But the bodies and blood had been there for so long that it was impossible to pin-point individual scents; if her friends' bodies were lying there, the only way she would be able to know would be to actually lay eyes on them.

Suddenly, the ocean of trees stopped, and the group found themselves on the edge of a clearing. Bodies that had long ago lost their life lay scattered on the ground. The ninjas stopped, but Takai and Cheza continued walking. Takai looked around, taking in the site before her. She identified most of the wounds inflicted upon the bodies as being from either teeth or claw, but there were a few from a blade. Seeing this, Takai smiled; Tsume had evidently fought in both forms.

Takai and Cheza continued walking, while the ninjas fanned-out, securing the perimeter. When the two, the wolf and the Flower Maiden, reached the center of the battlefield, they halt and look around them. Suddenly, a metallic glint catches Takai's eye, and she turns towards it. She takes a few steps forward and then moves a body out of the way. The sight she sees causes her eyes to blur with tears.

Opposite her, lying on the barren, blood soaked ground, are Toboe's bracelets, and Tsume's knife. Each was drenched in its former owner's blood. Takai knelt down and picked up Toboe's bracelets, cradling them in her hands. The bracelets had been Toboe's most precious possessions. Next, she picked up Tsume's knife. It hadn't really mattered to him, but it had been a symbol of himself all the same. Takai had loved Tsume, as a future mate, and seeing his weapon drenched in his blood tore her apart.

By now, silent tears were running down Takai's face, and her body shook as she sobbed. Cheza came up behind the weakened wolf, and seeing the objects clutched in Takai's hands, broke into tears herself. She collapsed next to Takai, and let the tears come. Together, the pair mourned their grief, but Takai mourned the loudest. Her cry whipped through the air, directed at the moon that was just starting to appear in the ever-darkening sky. To all who heard, it was a broken howl that echoed with sadness, rage, and hopelessness.

Hundreds of miles away, in the company of a band of rouge ninjas, four wolves stirred. Although they hadn't heard a thing, they could not ignore the emotional pain that suddenly ripped through each of their hearts. But that was to be expected, only days ago they had found out that the two females of their lives were dead.

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Koinu: And that ends chapter number two. Just to let you all know;

--------------------------------------- means a change in time/ skipping something and going into the future.

means a change in perspective from one person to another.

Thanks for reading and please review.


	3. Bad dreams and a new reality

Koinu: Wow, two updates in one day... thats impresive. Once again, I do not own Naruto or Wolf's Rain, only Takai, so don't steal her!

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They were in trouble. Surrounded by troops, Kiba, Tsume, Hige, and Toboe stood in a tight circle, their backs facing in. All four we're worse-for-wear; Toboe's right arm was broken, Hige seemed to have a few cracked ribs, Tsume was bleeding profusely, and Kiba had lost an eye. The odds were against them, and death seemed imminent. The soldiers circling them smiled behind their armor. Many held guns, and a few had weapons that resembled long sticks with blades on the end.

The commanding soldier raised his weapon, a shotgun that seemed out of place among all the other sleek weapons. He took aim, and then…

Takai burst out of the bushes. In wolf form, she lunged for the man with the shotgun, and clamped her jaws down on his jugular. As a result, he pulled the trigger of the shotgun, but the shot was worthless, fired uselessly into the sky. The man was dead before any of his subordinates had even heard his final shot.

Takai lifted her mouth from the commanders' neck, crimson blood dripping from her lips. In the moonlight, her black fur shimmered with silver streaks, giving her a demonic appearance. She turned, facing the soldiers, and they froze with temporary fear. One though, snapped out of his paralysis too quickly. He raised his rifle, and pulled the trigger.

This shot hit its mark.

Tsume fell, blood tricking from his mouth. The other soldiers followed the one bold one, and fired.

They all fell.

Kiba, Hige, Toboe, they all fell to the ground to accompany Tsume. A soldier opposite Takai raised his pistol, and fired. The shot didn't hit Takai, instead, it flew past her. Without a sound, it found a home in the heart of the only person Takai had left at that time.

Cheza.

He flower maiden fell to the ground, a line of green blood running from her mouth.

* * *

"NO!" Takai shot bolt upright in bed, beads of sweat running down her face. "No…" She sobbed quietly as she shook off the last of the dream. For six months now, Takai had been having that dream. It had started the night after she returned home from the battlefield, the images of her friends' deaths taunting her in the few hours of sleep that she was able to afford. And it wasn't always the same dream. Sometimes, Takai would get there too late, and be unable to stop the commanding soldier. Sometimes, she would stop the shot that killed Tsume. But still, the outcome was always the same; they all died. No matter what Takai did, what brilliant attack patterns she used, none of her friends were left standing. Her only escape were the sleep pills that she sometimes took, but they would sedate her so much that she'd be out for at least most of the next day.

Takai lifted her hands in front of her face: she knew that the dream was just that, a dream, and nothing more, but it still shook her and put her on edge. As she brought her hands up before her, Toboe's silver bracelets clinked quietly. Takai had decided to wear them in memory of her friend, two on each wrist. A metallic glint of silver caught her eye suddenly, and she looked at her bedside table, where Tsume's knife lay. The weapon reflected the light of the quarter moon, shimmering slightly, as if begging to be used. Takai reached over and grabbed the knife off of the table. It accompanied her everywhere, and had quickly become her weapon of choice. She silently ran a finger over the flat side of the blade, being careful not to knick herself on the sharp edge.

Takai sighed; she thought that by now she would have come to terms with the death of her friends, but no. The dreams haunted her during the night, and her lack of sleep made her jumpy during the day. If she heard a dog bark, she would turn expectantly, hoping to see the familiar site of Hige or Toboe running down the street with some stolen food. If she heard a bunch of guys fighting, she expected to turn the corner and see Tsume or Kiba causing some sort of trouble. No, Takai was definitely not over the fact that her friends were dead.

With another halfhearted sigh, Takai got out of her warm bed. In the darkness, she made her way over to the sliding glass door that connected her room to the outside.

:Well: She thought:I rather not go back to sleep, so I might as well practice…: It was only Saturday night, and she didn't have school tomorrow, so she wouldn't have to worry about falling asleep in class… not that it had ever happened before.

* * *

"Iruka, we've had this discussion before…" The Hokage sighed. He and Iruka were in his office, once again discussing Takai's future. 

"I know, Lord Hokage, but she's really improved…" Iruka defended Takai, "she surpassed all her classmates months ago… she moves without making a sound, or even upsetting a single blade of grass! Her physical technique is extraordinary… she's the undefeated champion of the class, no one can defeat her-"

The Hokage coughed once to get Iruka's attention. "Yes Iruka, I know that Takai has become your top student, even surpassed Uchila Sasuke… but, and this is the only problem, the girl cannot master even the simplest of jutsu's!"

"It's not her fault!" Iruka complained. "Her species has an extremely low amount of chakra…! Even with all the training she's been putting herself through, she still hasn't been able to increase the small amount she has to manipulate!"

"Fine… fine…" The Hokage finally gave in. "One jutsu. She must learn, and be able to use at any given time, one practical jutsu. If she can do this, then she will be allowed to graduate and receive her Hitai-Ate, the headband that will mark her as a shinobi of our village."

Takai listened with interest to what Iruka and the Hokage were talking about. She had been practicing her stealth within the main part of the village; merging herself with the shadows and using them to move undetected. All had been normal; no one awake or wandering the streets, not this early, when voices had met her sensitive ears. Intrigued, she had followed the voices to the Lord Hokage's office, but had concealed herself in the shadows on the outside; her heightened sense of hearing making their words loud and clear. She had immediately known that the two were talking about her, but what she heard made her heart leap.

Fine… fine…" She heard the Hokage say. "One jutsu. She must learn, and be able to use at any given time, one practical jutsu. If she can do this, then she will be allowed to graduate and receive her Hitai-Ate, the headband that will mark her as a shinobi of our village." The conversation ended there.

One jutsu, that was all! All she had to do was master one jutsu that could be put to good use. Takai's heart fell; she couldn't even master a simple transformation jutsu. The one time they had practiced in class, Iruka had allowed them to transform into anything they wanted, and Takai hadn't been able to do anything. In the end, she had used her wolf form to fool the other students, but Iruka wasn't too pleased with her fake performance. Ever since then, he had sent her on errands, or called her up right before the bell rang when the class practiced their jutsu's.

:I can't believe that after all this time, I still can't use my chakra for even the simplest of jutsu's: Takai slammed her fist into a nearby tree. :Tree: Takai looked around her. In the early morning light she was able to see that she had wandered into the forest outside the village.

The Village; even after months of living here, Takai still refused to call this place her home. She hadn't called any place her home for years, not after her birthplace was destroyed.

:No, I shouldn't think about that. The people who destroyed my family and my home have already paid the price for their killings: Takai smiled, and a laugh escaped her lips. :I got my revenge quickly. Who knew a pup only a year of age could be so deadly:

"Now, back to the problem at hand." Takai spoke out loud. "Hmm," Suddenly a thought came to her, "that's it!" She exclaimed. She brought her hands together; intertwining her fingers all except her index and her middle fingers.

"Focus… concentrate… feel my energy and mold it to fit my purpose…" She concentrated, closing her eyes. "That's it… now…"

"Tomo-kenzan no Jutsu!" Takai yelled, and instantly opened her eyes. They glowed slightly, and her pupils had dilated to three times their normal size.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Takai screamed. "GIANT ANT! ITS GONNA EAT ME!" Suddenly, the jutsu, that Takai had unknowingly been using, faded, and the 'giant' ant shrunk back to normal. The insect promptly scuttled off, its ego boosted by being called a giant.

Takai took a few deep breaths, and then it dawned on her; she had used a jutsu! Obviously, whatever she had done had caused her to see things as if they were under a microscope, or through a pair of binoculars. But her celebration was cut short by a brief surge of pain the shot through her. It wasn't even enough to be called a surge, but it was pain.

"Ow, what was that?" Takai mumbled.

---------------------------------------

By lunchtime Takai had tried out her jutsu in many different ways. She had figured out that in addition to 'telescoping' her vision, she could also see through things, and for a brief second she had known what the 'giant ant' was thinking; it had thought she belonged in a mental institution. Yet, every time she had used the 'tomo-kenzan' jutsu, she had felt pain for periods that matched the amount of time she had been using the jutsu. She dismissed it as an unfortunate side effect.

"Hey Cheza!" She called as she stepped into the house. She closed the sliding door behind her as she stepped into her room, the cool air conditioning feeling good against her warm skin. Takai paused; living in an actual house had its perks.

"Good, you're home! This One was beginning to worry." Cheza said from somewhere in the small one-story house.

:She's been so protective lately…: "Where are you?" Takai yelled in response.

"The kitchen!" Was Cheza's reply. Takai should have known, Cheza was probably watering one of the many plants that were scattered around the house; mainly in the kitchen. Takai made her way to the kitchen, only to be assaulted by a flurry of green leaves.

"What is it!" She cried while ducking under the plants vicious assault.

Cheza giggled. "They said it was called a 'Palm Tree'. Its cute, don't you think Takai?"

"Yeah, very cute… Why couldn't you just stick to flowers? Not even the Roses went out of their way to attack me." Takai paused to take a breath. "Totally off the subject of anti-Wolf Palm trees; have you seen Iruka-sensei anywhere?" She wanted to show him her new skill as soon as possible.

"No, This One hasn't seen Iruka today. Why do you ask?"

Takai frowned. "Oh, no reason" She lied. She turned around and headed towards the front door.

"Wait," Cheza called after her, "aren't you going to have lunch?"

"Later!" Takai yelled as she exited the house. :First I have to find Iruka:

Takai broke into a run, and soon after abandoned her human form. In her true form, she ran through the now busy streets of Konoha village, avoiding traffic, and sticking to the shadows whenever she could. It wasn't long before she caught Iruka's scent on the wind. It was coming from the direction of the school; poor Iruka was probably stuck grading their last written test.

Takai was so caught up in following Iruka's scent that she wasn't watching where she was going. As she turned a corner she ran headlong into a young, raven-haired boy. His leaf headband glinted in the sun; he was obviously a genin.

"Stupid dog." His voice was cold as he picked himself off the ground. Takai lifted a lip in a small snarl. She stayed in her wold form, unwilling to let this boy know what she was.

"You should be on a leash." The boy was obviously angry, and he threw a kick in Takai's direction. She leaped backwards and easily avoided the blow, which seemed to baffle the boy. Takai took this to her advantage.

She took one powerful bound, and was airborne. In a split second, she nimbly landed on the boy's shoulder, all four paws balanced and in position for another leap. And that's what she did. She pushed off of him, and took of at a full run. She could tell he was confused by what he had just witnessed.

* * *

Koinu: So, how was that? Oh, and for all you wondering who the boy is, it's Sasuke. Oops, did I just say that? I think I did. Well, anywho, read and review peoples! 


	4. A friend?

Koinu: Hi everybody! I'm back, and I still don't own Naruto or Wolf's Rain... darn. Oh well, my plans for world domination can wait.

Yourie: The purple space penguins are attaking!

Koinu: Um, what purple space penguins Yourie?

Yourie: The ones from pluto!

Koinu: Okay, someone has had **_way _**too my sugar today...

* * *

She took one powerful bound, and was airborne. In a split second, she nimbly landed on the boy's shoulder, all four paws balanced and in position for another leap. And that's what she did. She pushed off of him, and took off at a full run. She could tell he was confused by what he had just witnessed. 

"What the hell was that?" Sasuke mumbled as the unnaturally large, midnight black dog ran down the alleyway. "That… was no ordinary dog…"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid… stupid!" Takai cursed her clumsiness as she leap from rooftop to rooftop towards the school. She had abandoned the street after running into that boy.

"Damnit, I'm so stupid! How could I have not noticed him! It's not like he was being stealthy or anything. He was just walking – and I ran right into him!" She let out one last angry growl before she landed in front of the school.

Takai switched to her human form, and shoved open the doors to the academy, in her anger using much more force then was needed. Silently, she stalked down the hallways, following Iruka's scent to the source.

Slowly though, her anger dissipated, and was replace by ecstasy. Her exhilaration from before returned, and with a vengeance. She shivered slightly, but with happiness; she was finally going to graduate. She had been so sad when she had been the only one who hadn't received a headband, two weeks ago.

Now it was only her, and the few other hopeless kid that hadn't been able to become ninjas. They were either the slackers that skipped class, or the ones that just didn't have what it took to be a shinobi.

Takai suddenly snapped out of her thoughts; she had heard voices! Who would be at the school on a weekend? Curious, she slid open the door to Iruka's classroom.

"So, I was wondering if we could go get some Ramon, you know, for lunch."

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I'm busy right now, maybe later?" Iruka turned to look at Takai, "Oh, hello Takai!"

Takai blushed slightly, but it was forced; a front so she could look innocent. "I'm sorry Sensei, am I interrupting something?"

Iruka smiled. "No, we were just talking… I'm sure you've met Naruto, right Takai?

"Actually, I can't say I have." She stuck out her hand to the orange clad boy. "Hi, I'm Takai." She introduced herself. The blond took her hand and shook it.

"Uzamaki Naruto." He said happily. It was then that his scent hit Takai.

:That scent… What is this boy? Surely not human, at least, not fully: Takai smiled. :Interesting:

"So, Takai," Iruka interrupted their introductions, "What brings you here?"

She smiled again. "Actually, there's something I need to show you." Takai gave Iruka a look that said "Privately, please".

Iruka narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, and then nodded. "Okay then, It was nice talking to you Naruto, but I need to speak with Takai."

"Awe," Naruto complained, "but what about our Ramon?"

Takai sympathized with the blond. "Hey, meet me outside and I'll take you out for Ramon. What do you think?"

Naruto's face lit up. "Really?" It was obvious that he wasn't used to this kind of behavior towards him.

"Sure, I'll even pay." :Good, now I have a reason to leave if things get out of hand:

"Okay, meet you outside!" Naruto yelled as he ran out of the classroom. The remaining human and the wolf watched as he left, and then turned towards each other as soon as the sound of his footsteps ceased to meet their ears.

"So, Takai, you wished to show me something?" Iruka asked her calmly.

"Well, you see Iruka-" He gave her a look, and Takai quickly corrected herself, "-sensei, I have a jutsu-"

Iruka looked at her skeptically. "You, a jutsu? When did this come about?"

"Well, I heard you and the Hokage-" Takai's eyes became large when she realized what she had said.

Iruka stood up. "Takai," His voice was tinged with anger, "have you been spying on me?"

Takai became uneasy. "Yes, I mean no, I mean…" She let her head drop, and she looked at the floor, "I'm sorry sensei, but I just got so exited when I heard what you two where talking about. I've been working all day…" Her stomach growled. "And I didn't eat breakfast... or lunch."

Iruka's expression softened, and the anger left his voice. "Well, since you've been working so hard… I guess I could see what you have to show me." He sighed. "So, what does this jutsu of yours do, exactly?"

Takai smiled. "Well, it allows me to magnify my vision, see through things, and I think I can read peoples minds."

"Well, that sounds interesting…" Iruka paused, "Tell me what's in that drawer." He pointed to his desk.

"Um… okay…" She took a step back. "Tomo-kenzan no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, the desk appeared to be transparent, at least it was for Takai. She concentrated, telescoping her vision so that she could see what the drawer contained. What she found were the corrected tests from last week. Hers was on top, and she could see that, once again, she had received an A.

"What do you see?" Iruka asked her.

"I see… our tests from last week… mines on top… I got an A," She couldn't resist, "as always."

She dropped the jutsu, and looked at Iruka. She found him staring wide-eyed at her. Unexpectedly, he rushed over to his desk and pulled the drawer open. If possible, his eyes widened even more.

"I, I have to go speak with the Hokage." He stuttered. "You should go, Naruto's probably still waiting for you."

"Um… okay sensei. See you later." Takai flinched slightly as the expected pain rushed through her body.

"Yes, later…" Iruka mumbled under his breath.

---------------------------------------

"Thanks again for buying me Ramon!" Naruto exclaimed as he started on his second bowl.

Takai laughed. "Don't you have any friends that you could scam food off of?"

Naruto's mood suddenly dropped. "No… everyone hates me for some reason…"

:Is it because you're different: Takai pondered. "What about your parents?"

Naruto's mood dropped even lower. "I don't have any…" He said sadly.

"Well, then there's one thing we have in common." :Two, actually: "I lost my parents when I was young."

"Wow, really?"

Takai nodded her head. "Yep, but that was years ago, it doesn't hurt as much now."

They were silent for a while, just sitting there, quietly eating their Ramon. Finally, Naruto broke the silence.

"So, Takai," Naruto made to ask a question, "do you have a dream?"

Takai looked up, surprised. "A dream…? I guess I have a dream."

"Well, what is it!"

"You first." She said laughing.

"My dream, is to become the greatest Hokage ever!"

Takai smiled. "Well, I hope you get what you want."

"You still haven't told me what your dream is." Naruto protested.

"My dream… is to one day-"

"Takai!"

Takai turned at the sound of Cheza's voice. The Flower Maiden stood in the doorway of the Ramon shop; her red, sightless eyes stared towards her. Quickly, and with confidence, she made her way towards Takai, her lips parted in a slight smile.

"There you are Takai." Cheza giggled slightly. "This one has been searching everywhere for you! Iruka and the Hokage wish to speak with you."

"Okay… Wait, why are you here? Iruka could of just come to get me."

Cheza giggled again. "He and the Hokage where still talking, and he said that he would get me another plant if I found you!"

Takai sighed. "You and your friends…" She was interrupted as Cheza grabbed her hand.

"Come on, this way!" She exclaimed as she pulled Takai out of the Ramon shop.

"What, wait, BYE NARUTO!" Takai called as she was pulled away.

"Um… bye…?" He responded as he watched the pink-haired maiden pull Takai away.

---------------------------------------

"Well Takai, it seems that you are telling the truth." The Hokage commented.

Takai stood before him and Iruka. She was slightly out of breath, and in a small bit of pain from using her jutsu again. The Hokage had wished to witness it himself and had her complete an array of tasks that required her skill.

"It seems," He began again, "that you should now be allowed to graduate."

Takai's heart skipped a beat. "Really?" She questioned. Her hope was evident in her voice, and her eyes sparkled with it.

The Hokage nodded, and then motioned to Iruka. Iruka took the signal and stepped up to Takai.

"Congratulations, Takai," He said as he handed her a Konoha Leaf headband, "you graduate!"

Takai's eyes brimmed with tears, and she could hear Cheza giggle from where she stood in the corner of the room.

"Oh, thank you!" She leaped on Iruka and hugged him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She abandoned Iruka and pounced on Lord Hokage. "Thank you both so much!"

Takai got off of the Hokage. She stood up and took her headband, tying it around her neck. She looked down at it, and the metal shown despite the darkness of the night outside. Happiness flooded her.

She let her true form show, and she lifted her face to where the moon should be. She was so happy that all she could do was howl. She didn't care if no one cared why she was howling, or if no one even heard her voice; she just howled. It felt so good, just howling. She couldn't remember the last time she had howled out of pleasure.

* * *

Koinu: So, thanks for reading and please review. 

Yourie: Dude...

Koinu: What?

Yourie: Where's my car?

Koinu: Oh no!


	5. Training with a new team

Koinu: Hello, I'm back. I'm thinking of only updating on the weekends, since I have more free time then, what do you think?

I do not own anything other than Takai.

* * *

"So, why are we here again?" 

"Your such a dunce, Naruto! You've forgotten already?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Well, could you tell me again?"

"We're here," Kakashi interrupted the bickering, "because you must meet your new teammate."

Sasuke sat silently, as usual, but he couldn't help but share his opinion. "New teammate, please. We have enough weaklings as it is. And I bet you haven't met them yet either sensei."

"Grr, don't push it Sasuke."

"Quiet Naruto, and your right Sasuke, I haven't met them yet." He turned the page of his book. "So this will be a first for all of us."

"I wonder what they're like…" Sakura mumbled. :I hope it's not another boy like Naruto:

Suddenly, the door to the classroom opened, and in walked Iruka, followed by a girl. Her blond hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and she wore gray camouflage pants and a black shirt. She wore her headband tied around her neck, almost like a collar.

"Takai!" Naruto yelled as he ran up to her. "You're our new teammate?"

Takai took a slight step backwards; Naruto was crowding her personal space. "Um," She looked to Iruka, who nodded, "I guess I am."

Kakashi got up and put his book away. "Hello, I'm Hatake Kakashi, your new sensei."

Takai smiled and took his hand. "Aw, and I was just starting to like my old one. Oh well, I'm Burakku Takai."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "Nice name." :There's some strange about this girl, she's not human:

"Thanks" Takai smiled, but this time it was fake. :He knows: She let go of his hand and turned towards a girl that was now standing at her side. "Hello?"

"Hi Takai, I'm Sakura." :Good, a girl:

"Nice to meet you Sakura." Takai turned towards the last remaining nameless boy. :Him! He's the boy from yesterday:

He put out his hand for her to shake. "Uchila Sasuke."

Takai nodded her head, and then leaned towards him. "You do know, Sasuke, that animal cruelty is a crime, right?" She whispered.

"What." He breathed silently.

"Well Takai," Iruka saved her from having to further explain herself to the Uchila, "I've got to go, see you around?"

"Of course Iruka sensei, thanks for everything!" She waved goodbye as Iruka left.

"Now Takai," Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder and she jumped away. Everyone seemed confused by her jumpiness. "What was that, did I scare you."

"No, I'm sorry, but I would prefer it if you didn't touch me." Takai still wasn't used to human contact.

"Suit yourself. What I was going to say was that we should probably go train, so you can get used to working with the team."

"Okay, what did you have in mind?"

"You'll see."

---------------------------------------

Kakashi lead them to the outskirts of the village. When they finally stopped, they were near the memorial stone. Takai had visited it a few times, seeing that her friends had died in battle.

"Now today team," Kakashi turned around to face them, "we shall being doing a drill that most of you are familiar with." He fished in one of his pockets, and pulled out three small bells.

Takai heard Naruto and Sakura groan unenthusiastically, but Sasuke remained silent.

"As you can see," Kakashi continued, "I have three bells. If you are able to get a bell from me, you will be aloud to eat one of the lunches I've brought. If you are unsuccessful, and aren't able to retrieve a bell by noon, you will be forced to watch as the others eat the lunches. Got it?"

"Loud and clear." Takai replied with confidence. She glanced at the others, and saw Sasuke motioning for them to follow him.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Okay, on your mark, get set. GO!"

As soon as he said 'go' Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura jumped away, while Takai stayed in place.

"You fool!" She heard Sasuke call. "What are you doing!"

Takai snickered. "Isn't it obvious? I'm getting a bell." With that, she pulled out Tsume's knife, and charged at her new sensei. She had her inhuman speed on her side, so her couldn't dodge the blow; he had to block.

Kakashi pulled out a kunai at the last second, and stopped the knife that had been headed towards his neck. Takai had moved so fast, she had seemed to teleport in front of him. She tried to force him back, but was unsuccessful; Kakashi wouldn't budge. She leaped back, and gathered herself.

"You're fast." He commented.

Takai smirked. "It's unwise to speak to your enemy."

* * *

"What do you think she's doing Sasuke?" Sakura asked quietly. 

The trio was perched in a nearby tree, where they could keep an eye on the fight. They had thought Takai would have the sense to follow them, but it seemed they were wrong.

"I don't know," He responded, "lets wait and see what happens. What do you think Naruto?"

"She wasn't like this before… It's like she's become a completely different person…" Naruto mumbled, confused by Takai's sudden change in attitude.

* * *

Takai's ear twitched slightly; why were they talking so loud? If they really wanted to use teamwork in this situation, then they would've struck when she had engaged Kakashi. 

:Oh well, their loss. Looks like I'll have to do this by myself:

Takai swiftly moved to the right of Kakashi, and then pounced. The sharp sound of metal meeting metal echoed through the area as Kakashi's kunai once again met Takai's knife. While he was busy fending her off, Takai tried to sweep his legs out from under him. Kakashi saw it coming and leaped away, and then watched as Takai leaped back as well.

"You're never going to beat me that way, you know." He stated. Kakashi was still calm, and stood at ease, no sign of tension present.

Takai let out a sound that sounded close to a growl. Suddenly, she leaped high in the air. As gravity pulled her back down to earth, she raised the knife above her head, preparing to strike. But, as soon as she got close to Kakashi, he switched places with her.

:What:

Her back hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of her lungs, and the knife fell out of her reach. Kakashi swept his kunai towards her throat, and Takai was forced to catch it with her hands. As the sharp metal cut into her palms, she growled in pain.

Kakashi leaned over her, his knees on either side of her midsection. One hand was braced above Takai's head, holding him up as leaned over her.

"What's the matter?" He asked. "You're holding back, why? Are you afraid to show yourself? Or are you afraid of what they'll think of you once they know?"

"Shut… up…" Takai breathed, trying to keep herself from killing her sensei right then and there. Her instincts rose up, telling her to clamp her powerful jaws on his neck and break it while it was still within range.

Kakashi continued once again in a louder voice. "They're you teammates, you know, they shouldn't care what you are, as long as you're on they're side. I certainly think it's interesting."

"…I said shut up…" Takai said through clenched teeth. Oh how she wanted to taste his blood right now, he was angering her so much. Her eyes gleamed golden, the true color of a wolf's eyes.

"Why do you hide your true form?" Kakashi said, raising his voice even more. It seemed that he wanted Takai's teammates to know the truth about her that he already knew. "Do you have no pride as a Wolf?"

Kakashi's last words hit a nerve. "Shut up!" Takai screamed as she through him off of her body. He landed nimbly on his feet, but when he looked to where Takai was, she wasn't there. In her place stood a midnight black wolf.

* * *

"What!" Sasuke cried out as he watched Takai transform. She had become the dog from yesterday, but according to Kakashi, she wasn't a dog, but a Wolf. 

"Hey Sasuke?" Sakura started to ask a question. "Is that a transformation jutsu?"

"No." Naruto interrupted Sasuke's answer. "That's no jutsu. There were no hand signs, no nothing…"

"She just changed…" Sasuke ended Naruto's thought.

Sakura gasped. "Then, that means… she's not human…"

* * *

"Finally, she comes clean." Kakashi said as Takai snarled at him. "I've always wanted my students to give it everything they got." 

Suddenly, Takai seemed to disappear in front of his eyes. Moments later, he felt a sharp pain in his side, and when he looked down he saw blood.

"I win."

Kakashi turned to face the voice that had sounded from behind him. Takai was standing there, in her human form, holding the bells in front of her face. She turned slightly, to face the memorial stone, just as the timer went off. Hearing this, she tuned all the way around, and walked off towards the stone.

The three genin leaped from where they had been hiding, and then approached their sensei.

"Kakashi sensei!" Sakura cried when she saw Kakashi bleeding. "Are you okay?"

"No, but I'll be better later." He responded as Sakura and Naruto helped him over to where Takai had gone.

Meanwhile, Sasuke kneeled down to inspect Takai's footprints. When he got a closer look, he gasped, and his eyes widened; they were paw prints, and half of them were bloody.

Covering his surprise with anger, her ran over to where Takai was.

"What's you problem!" He yelled at her. He had found her sitting against the memorial stone as she bandaged her hands. The bells sat besides her.

When she didn't respond he yelled again. "What the hell is with you! Why couldn't you just listen to me!"

Takai looked up at him, and her eyes seemed tired. "Sasuke," She started, "sometimes, things require teamwork. But there are others… that need a distraction."

"What?"

Takai's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was remembering something. "…Distract the humans with the pretty girl, and soon they don't notice when a bunch of wolves run off with their food…"

"What do mean by that?"

"She means," Kakashi interrupted, "that she was sacrificing herself so you could get the bells. Am I right Takai?"

"Yeah…… I was thinking of giving you more time, but when I heard the timer ticking down, I knew I had to hurry."

"Yes, you have better hearing than us humans, and you're stronger and faster too."

"Uh-huh…" Takai continued to look at the ground, as if she was ashamed.

"But I don't understand," Sakura said, confusion in her voice, "why would you let us have the bells? I mean we just met."

"Yeah, what's with that?" Naruto agreed.

"I did it… because you guys need the food. I could go for a week without eating and not be affected very much."

"A whole… week?" Naruto looked like he was going to faint.

"Yeah, a week. You got a problem with it, human?" As she said the last word Takai's voice dripped with venom, as if she abhorred it and the creatures it represented.

There was a long silence between the five of them. Sakura and Naruto looked like they were in deep thought, Kakashi was trying to get a grip on what his newest student was, and Sasuke, if possible, seemed almost ashamed by his sudden outburst towards Takai.

"Well I think its cool." Yelled Naruto. "That you're a wolf, that is…" He walked away from Kakashi, who at this time could stand by himself, and stuck his hand out for Takai to shake. "Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's number one knuckle-headed ninja, at your service!" He waited with his arm outstretched for Takai to shake his hand.

For a while, Takai just glared at his hand. Could he be accepting her, just like that:It could be a trap: Takai concentrated, and stared into Naruto's blue eyes. :Tomo-kenzan no jutsu: She looked into Naruto's mind, and Takai saw that his intentions were pure. All of a sudden, she stood up, and clasped Naruto's hand with her own.

"Burakku Takai. Also known to your kind as 'The Black Death'. Last surviving member of the once strong snow pack of the north. At your service. It's good to know that I have a friend here in Konoha, especially one outside my species."

* * *

Koinu: So, thats the end of the fith chapter of Broken Howl. I'm so happy, Takai offically has a friend. Well, you know what I want; reviews! So review and tell me what you think. 


	6. Explenations

Koinu: Okay, updates will usually only be on weekends now. Just letting you know.

* * *

"It's good to know that I have a friend here in Konoha, especially one outside my species." Takai said, speaking the truth. The expected pain came and her grip on Naruto's hand tightened slightly. 

Naruto smiled. "It's good to know I have a friend too. Dose this mean I get to scam food of off you whenever I want?" He laughed as he remembered what she had said a few days ago.

Takai laughed. "Yes, I guess it does!" :Is food all he thinks about:

"Then I know what we should do… Have lunch at Takai's house!" Naruto exclaimed. "What do you say Sakura?"

"Hey," Kakashi complained, "what about the food I brought?" He looked at the box lunches he had brought, which were covered in ants.

"Ewe," Takai looked disgusted, "I hate bugs…"

"So," Naruto tried again, "You wanna come Sakura?"

"Um, okay." She replied. "What about you Sasuke, are you coming?"

Sasuke looked at them, and then turned away, as if he was better than they all were.

"Fine, whatever. Its not like I have anything better to do."

"Well, I'm leaving then." Kakashi said. "I'm going to go back to my place and lick my wounds."

"Dude, that's nasty." Takai stated. "I don't even lick my wounds."

Kakashi sighed. "It's just a figure of speech Takai." He then leaped off and disappeared.

Without notice, Naruto slung his arm around Takai's shoulder, and then pointed into the distance.

"Off to Takai's house!" He yelled triumphantly. "Wait, where is your house?"

---------------------------------------

The four young genin, three humans and one wolf, walked through the streets of Konoha Village. They were making their way towards their wolfen companions house. They had been walking in silence for some time now, and it seemed to be getting on everyone's nerves.

"So Takai," Sasuke broke the silence, "how'd you do that thing before?" He recalled the time where she had jumped and then landed on his shoulder.

"Hm?" Takai turned around so she was walking backwards. "What 'thing'?"

"You know, what you did that day in the ally."

"You've met before?" Sakura cried out. "Am I the only one who hasn't met you until today?"

Takai chuckled slightly. "Don't worry Sakura, it was only a chance meeting. And to answer your question Sasuke; lots and lots of practice. Now, since you all seem so interested in me, is there anything you want to ask me Naruto?"

The blond cocked his head to the side in thought. "Well… is there anyone who can see your true form no matter what."

"Ah, looking for a weak spot, are you? Now, lets see… animals can see my true form… and drunks, I think… and people like Iruka and Kakashi can see it if they really try hard."

"Oh… So no one else can see it?"

"Not unless I chose to show them, no."

"That's neat." Sakura said in awe.

"Well, it comes in handy when people are trying to kill you. If they think your human, then they pretty much leave you alone. But there are a few differences that I can't get rid of even in this form."

"What do you mean?" Sakura inquired.

"Take a closer look at my shadow."

The three did as Takai instructed, and looked down at her shadow. What they found was not the shadow of a human, but of a wolf.

"And Sasuke already noticed my footprints."

He nodded, and then looked up. While they were talking, they had made their way out of the main part of the village, and now stood in front of a small one-story house.

"This is your house?" Sasuke asked. He looked it up and down; there was nothing about it that would hint at what the owner was like.

"Yep." Takai replied as she opened the door. It was unlocked and swung open easily. "Cheza, I'm back!" She yelled as she entered the main hallway.

"Cheza, is that the girl from yesterday?" Naruto said with a confused look on his face.

"Good, your home!" The maiden said as she stepped out of the kitchen, a smile playing on her face. "And you brought friends! But," Cheza's smile faded, "They are not like you…"

"Its okay Cheza, they're still friends." Takai reassured the flower maiden.

"Wow, her eyes are red…" Naruto waved a hand in front of Cheza's unblinking eyes.

Takai slapped his hand away. "Stop it Naruto, she's blind!"

"What!"

"Your name is Naruto…" Cheza looked blankly at him, and then her face lit up. "You're the boy from before, the one who had to pay for the Ramon, I can tell by your scent. Remember Takai? We met him the day after Iruka brought us here."

"The day after…" Takai seemed to be in deep thought. "That's right! I'm so sorry Naruto, I'm the one who tripped you."

"What, that was you?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, but it was so easy, and I needed something to entertain myself!" She looked over to where Sasuke was standing, and could see that he was trying to hold back a smile; her tripping Naruto amused him.

"Hey, I've seen you before!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed as she pointed to Cheza. "You're always hanging around the flower shop."

Cheza smiled. "This One likes to visits her friends!"

"… 'This One'… 'Friends'?" Sasuke asked. "What's with this girl?"

"I'll explain later, but first…" Takai wandered into the kitchen, followed by Cheza. "Lets get something to eat!"

---------------------------------------

The four were sitting in Takai's room, seeing as the kitchen was full of plants. They were eating instant Ramon, much to Naruto's pleasure.

"Hey Takai?" Sasuke seemed to be in a talkative mood today. "You said you were the last surviving member of your pack, is that true?"

Takai gently put her bowl on the ground. Her eyes were half shut. "Yeah. One day… a bunch of humans came and slaughtered my whole pack. I was the only surviving pup that year, and seeing that I was so young, only a year old, they thought I would starve to death without my parents… They were wrong." Takai smiled, and then looked straight at her teammates. "Only a few days later, I sought out, and killed everyone who had taken part in the butchering of my pack."

"All of them…? How?" Naruto asked.

"All I had to do," Takai began, "was seek out the sent of my families blood. The scent of wolf's blood lasts longer than human blood. It was easy to find all the men that had participated."

"But," Sakura protested, "you were only a year old."

Takai smiled again. "It's amazing how strong you become when you're fighting for revenge…"

"That's so sad, you had to lose you whole family at such a young age…"

"Consider yourself lucky." Takai said, her voice tinged with sadness. "You'll only have to feel that pain once. Before I came here, I had another pack, but they were killed in battle. The only one I have left is Cheza."

Takai sat silently, letting what she said sink in.

Naruto seemed uncomfortable with the subject they were on, so he changed it. "You never did tell me what your dream is, Takai."

Takai looked at him. "Was, Naruto, was…" She tilted her head back, suddenly very interested in the ceiling. "My dream, was to someday… reach Paradise…."

"Paradise?" Asked Sakura. "What's that?"

"It's a place," Continued Takai, "that all wolves search for at least once in their lives. It's a beautiful place, covered in lunar flowers, that only the wolves can find. But it's no use, without Kiba and the others, Cheza has no reason to find, nor open, its gates. The Flower Maiden and I… no longer have a purpose… I remember so clearly what Kiba used to say; 'There's nothing unnatural about dying or being killed. But if you live without a purpose, you're already as good as dead.' Heh, I guess he was wrong."

"Cheza, flower maiden… now I'm really confused." Naruto tilted his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Cheza is the Flower Maiden." Takai explained. "She was created by weaving the essence of a lunar flower into the form of a beautiful girl. She is the key to Paradise."

"I don't get it," Sasuke said, "you expect me to believe that that girl out there is some sort of experiment? It just doesn't make any sense!"

Suddenly, Cheza stuck her head into the room that they were all sitting in. "This One heard you talking about her!" She smiled sweetly. She then skipped over to where Takai was sitting and sat down next to her. Almost as suddenly, she began to hum a tune.

Takai let out a light laugh. "Come on Cheza, not this again."

Cheza stopped humming and smiled at Takai. "Come on Takai, sing! Please, for This One?" She then continued her humming.

"Fine, fine…" Takai gave in to Cheza's pleads. For a little while, she listened to Cheza's humming, but then, she began to sing in hauntingly quiet voice.

_**"Run, wolf warrior, to ends eternal**_

_**Through the wreckage of the death of the day**_

_**Scent of silence under starlight spinning**_

_**A captured beast within a human skin**_

_**-**_

_**Are you searching for long lost landscapes**_

_**Lit by flowers and crystal cascades?**_

_**Where the lamb lies down with the lion**_

_**Where the wolf is one with the wild**_

_**-**_

_**Run, wolf warrior, through kingdoms chaos**_

_**Senseless cities and ghost-towns towering**_

_**Howl, O hunter, though few know you're crying**_

_**Face upturned into that midnight moon**_

_**-**_

_**Are you hunting for mystic mountains**_

_**Where the air is like liquid laughter?**_

_**Where the beasts inherit the earth**_

_**Where the last again will be first**_

_**-**_

_**Run, wolf warrior, to hide your hunger**_

_**The rain will wash away the pain of the day**_

_**In your eyes there are cold fires burning**_

_**Tongues of flame that can never be tamed**_

_**-**_

_**Are you running from Man's delusion**_

_**Majestic madness and your exclusion**_

_**To where the lamb lies down with the lion?**_

_**-**_

_**Are you running down ancient pathways**_

_**Through this dark and deserted land**_

_**To where man is once more a child**_

_**-**_

_**Are you running to freedoms fortress**_

_**By the side of wide open seas**_

_**Where the wolf is one with the wild?**_

_**-**_

_**Where the wolf is one with the wild…"**_

-

Silence followed then ending of her song. All three members of her audience were awe-struck. Takai's voice had sounded so sad, so filled with emotion.

"Wow.." Was all Sakura could say.

"T-that," Naruto seemed to be on the verge of tears, "was so beautiful."

"Thanks." Was Takai's quiet response. "My mother used to sing that to me…"

"Do you know anything else?" He exclaimed suddenly.

"Well…"

* * *

Koinu: Oh god I love that song. I don't own it. It's from the Wolf's Rain sound track, but I altered the ending, just a little. So yeah... you all know the drill; so read and review people! 


	7. Unwanted encounters

Koinu: Hi there everyone! Hope your haveing a good weekend/week/day/whenever you are reading this. Once again, I do not own **_anything _**other than Takai and the plot of this story, thank you very much.

* * *

Kakashi narrowly avoided a strong punch that was thrown at him. "Why are you out here again?" He huffed; he was beginning to feel tired.

"Training" Was Takai's simple response as she caught Kakashi's foot, preventing the kick that was aimed at her head.

"And I'm out here with you instead of one of your teammates because…?" Kakashi jerked his leg out of Takai's grip and jumped back a step.

"Because," Takai dodged some shuriken that Kakashi had thrown at her, "you're the only one that can match my strength."

"Match?" Kakashi suddenly rushed at Takai. She was caught of guard and the blow sent her flying into a tree.

"Okay, surpass my own strength." She wiped some blood away from her mouth. "Jeez, can't you let me have a little self esteem?"

"No" Kakashi offered her a hand to help her to get up, but she ignored it. Unexpectedly, she changed to her wolf form and ran to the edge of the training field, which overlooked the village.

Her ears twitched, and she sniffed the air. On the wind, the faint sound of some sort of commotion met her ears.

"There's… something going on down there…" She said quietly. "Come on, let's go!" With that, she took of towards the village at a full run, a confused Kakashi at her heals.

* * *

"Can't you see them! They're all around us!" An older man yelled at the crowds of people that were starting to form in Konoha's streets. 

"See what!" An angry pedestrian called.

The mans voice became low and accusing. "The wolves."

His dog obediently sat besides him, glad to have her job standing next to her master; Quent Yaiden. She wore a spiked metal collar that was attached to a leather leash that Quent held firmly in his hand. Her intense blue eyes searched the crowd, looking for what her master sought to kill; wolves. Suddenly, she leaped to her feet, her deep blue fur standing on end, and a vicious snarl erupting from her throat. The sent of a wolf was strong in the air, Takai's sent.

"What is it, Blue?" Quent asked. "Is it a wolf?"

As if on cue, Takai emerged from the crowd, but in her human form. She had lost Kakashi a long time ago because of his inability to keep up. But upon spotting Blue, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Blue…?" She asked quietly, almost to herself.

Blue responded with an explosion of barks and growls. She stained at her leash, begging to be released from Quent's grip.

"Go Blue, don't let 'er her away!" Quent let go of Blue's leash, and she took off.

Seeing Blue coming at her, intent to kill, Takai turned and sprinted off in the opposite direction. She narrowly avoided the people that were on the streets, including Kakashi, who was still chasing after her.

"Takai? He said out loud as she ran past him. He stopped and was soon passed up by a dog and a man with a hunting rifle. Both seemed to be following Takai as she fled. "This doesn't look good…"

---------------------------------------

Takai was already back to the training field before Blue caught up with her. The large dog threw herself at Takai, succeeding in knocking the wolf to the ground.

"You traitor!" Takai yelled. She changed to her true form and lunged at Blue, who had been taken-aback by what Takai had said.

"What…?" She asked Takai, taking a step back.

"You heard me!" Takai's eyes brimmed with tears at the site of her old pack-mate. "You-you ran back to your human master, just like the dog you are, and told him where we were!" She couldn't take the pain anymore, so she cried. The tears spilled out of her golden wolf's eyes and down her cheeks. "It's because of you they're dead! Because of you Hige is dead! I thought you loved him! Couldn't you just be happy being with Cheza, your half wolf anyway!"

"Hige… is dead…?"

"Yeah, and so are the others! You went and told Quent where we were, and then he probably went and told some soldier what his loyal dog had informed him of!" Suddenly a bullet whizzed past her head, and Takai looked up to see Quent, his gun smoking. Tears still flowing, Takai turned and fled into the forest that surrounded the training ground.

"Come on Blue," Quent yelled, "lets go get her!"

"Not so fast," Kakashi put a firm hand on Quent's shoulder, "I suggest you leave this village immediately. We don't take kindly to people like you. Here," He pressed a kunai to the back of Quent's neck, "I'll show you the exit."

* * *

Takai wandered sullenly through the woods, only somewhat conscious of where her feet were taking her. The emotional pain within her at the moment surpassed any physical pain she had felt before. She had known that Blue, the half dog, half wolf mix, was trouble before Blue had ever joined the pack. Takai had known the Blue's type wasn't trustworthy. And she had been right. 

A few days before the Nobles had attacked her, Kiba, Tsume, Hige, and Toboe, Blue had disappeared. Hige had been heart broken, but they had gone on. Takai had felt that something bad was going to happen, but she ignored the feeling. But when she was sure she saw Blue spying on them, once again wearing a collar, Takai had become uneasy. Her worries about Blue had been confirmed.

All her anger came flooding back, and Takai couldn't take it. Suddenly, she needed to run, to just get away from here, if only for a little while. Slowly, she picked up pace, first from a walk, to a jog, and then to a full out running-for-your-life sprint. As she ran, Takai wasn't even aware of where she was going.

---------------------------------------

She didn't know for how long she had been running, but suddenly Takai stopped. The ground beneath her feet had changed drastically. Confused, she looked to the ground. Sand. No longer was Takai running on the hard packed dirt of the forest, but now on the loose grains of sand that made up the desert. Startled, Takai looked around her, for the first time in hours, taking her surroundings. Before her lay a vast expanse of sand, desolate, uninhabitable. Behind her was the forest that she had been running through, and even farther back was Konoha. Did anyone even know she was gone? As she looked back towards the forest, Takai's heart started to ache again. She couldn't go back there, not yet at least. 

So Takai turned back to the desolate expanse of sand, and once again began to run.

* * *

Koinu: Yes, I know this was a short chapter, and I'm sorry. I just can't always have long chapters, it's too hard. Plus I thought this was a good spot to end. Review to tell me what you think. 


	8. Dying in the sands

Koinu: I'm back, and I don't own anything other than Takai and the plot, still.

* * *

Finally, a whole two days later, Takai collapsed. She was tired and thirsty beyond compare. She had run all day the whole two days, only stopping for short breaks where she tried to sleep. Key word- tried. She had been too restless to sleep, or even stop for very long. 

But finally, her body had given up.

"My mind says yes, but my body says no…" Takai mumbled before subconsciously shifting to her human form and passing out.

For a while, she slept peacefully, her body too tired to even conjure up dreams for her to view during her sleep. One hour, then two, and even more countless hours passed, before the scorching sun and the heat of the desert finally awoke her. But even then, she couldn't move. It was as if the burning sun and the stifling hot air had persuaded her mind to agree with her worn out body, making it so that she was paralyzed in the burning heat.

In her human form, Takai curled up slightly; pulling her arms and knees closer to her chest. It was the only movement she could muster. Her eyes glazed over, and she descended into a trance like state.

Suddenly a shadow fell across her almost lifeless form. Someone chuckled from behind her, breaking the trance she was in. She glanced up, her interest mild due to her fatigue. She caught sight of red hair, pale sea green eyes, and the kanji for 'love' before her eyes fell back to stare blankly at the ground in front of her.

Seemingly surprised, the boy standing behind Takai kicked her in the back. It wasn't much of a kick, but all Takai was able to respond with a weak cough.

"I should kill you…" The boy mumbled to himself.

"Go ahead…" Takai said weakly. "It's not like anyone… cares about what happens to someone like me…" Her cover slipped for a moment, allowing him to see her true form for a second, but it quickly was put back in place, making Takai appear human once more as she passed out again.

"What a strange person," Gaara mumbled to himself, "she doesn't seem to fear me, or her death…" Utterly confused by the girl lying in front of him, he used the sand to carry her as he searched for some shade to escape the heat of the desert.

---------------------------------------

Takai felt a cool liquid sliding across her lips and her eyes slowly fluttered open. She found herself propped up against a long dead tree, it's trunk worn smooth from the constant winds and sands. Across from her sat the red haired boy with the kanji over his left temple; blocking her exit.

"Who… what… why…" She mumbled trying to make sense of things.

"Shut up," The boy said sternly, "or I'll kill you."

"Go ahead." Takai said turning her head to the side. If she died, then maybe she could be with her pack again.

The boy smirked, and moved his hand slightly. Takai felt coils of sand circling her; her arms, her legs, her neck. Escape was impossible now, death almost inevitable. Takai was able to smell the blood the sand had consumed, but still she sat quietly. She emitted no sound, and didn't struggle as the sand wrapped itself around her even tighter.

The sand then completely covered her, and without hesitation, crushed her. Takai didn't even feel her death.

The end.

* * *

A/N hahahaha, I bet you all think I really killed off Takai, don't you? Oh I'm so evil. Just read on to see what really happens. (dodges random objects thrown by angry readers) ha, you missed! (gets hit in the head with a frying pan) owie.

* * *

Gaara growled to himself and let the sand slip away from Takai; defeated. In his mind it was no fun to kill something that didn't struggle or fear him. He sat there and glared at her as she sat unmoving. When he had found her she was half-dead. It would have been so easy to kill her then, but somehow, he couldn't. It was the same now, but he wouldn't admit it. 

"What's your name?" He asked suddenly.

"You first." Was her simple response. Takai seemed indifferent to whether she lived or died.

Gaara grew angry, and the sand coiled around her neck once more. Yet she continued her blank stare to the side of her, never once looking at him. But it wasn't out of fear that she looked away, it wasn't anything along those lines, but something completely different. Sadness maybe?

"Gaara of the Sand." He said flatly.

"Takai."

"Death?" Gaara questioned.

"My full name means Black Death. Can't remember who named me, but some say it suits me." The 'can't remember' stuff was a lie. Her father had named her Takai, but when the humans began to call her 'The Black Death' she had adopted Burakku.

"Why aren't you scared?" Gaara questioned.

"Of what?"

"Your death, _me_."

"Too tired…"

"What?"

"I'm too tired, and I'm really thirsty. I've been running out here for two days straight, no rest, no water… Do you have any water by the way?" Takai was completely calm. Either that or she was a really good actor.

Gaara glared a little harder, but handed Takai a canteen of water, which she accepted with shaking hands. She unscrewed the cap and took one swig, no more. She swallowed the water and then put the cap back on the canteen and handed it back to Gaara.

It was then that Gaara noticed her headband that hung loosely around her neck.

"You're a ninja from Konoha?"

"More or less…" Takai answered.

Gaara suddenly stood up. "Get up." He commanded.

"What…?"

"Just do what I say before I change my mind." He said roughly.

Takai did as told, but after a few seconds of standing her legs gave out under her. Gaara caught her in his arms.

A blush immediately spread across Takai's cheeks, but Gaara only glared, his black rimmed eyes narrowing.

Takai tried to push herself away from him. "I-I'm okay!" She stammered out.

"No you're not." Gaara shifted her so instead of him holding her she cold lean on him.

Suddenly sand swirled around them, blocking out their surroundings completely. Takai whimpered slightly, but it was so quiet that Gaara didn't notice.

Then, almost as suddenly, the sand disappeared, and Takai gasped. They were back at the edge of the forest, and she could smell her faint scent from when she had been here a few days ago.

"Why?" She turned to question Gaara, but he was gone.

* * *

Koinu: This chapter was for all those Gaara fans out there, and yes, I do know that he was a little out of character. But, I couldn't kill Takai... just yet. Please review peoples! 


	9. A mission

Koinu: -- I'm so sad. I have been getting less and less reviews for each chapter. I really enjoy hearing what you you guys (and girls) have to say, and your reviews are what keep me going. Well, on a higher note, here is the story.

* * *

Takai struggled through the forest, following her own scent trail from a few days before. 

:How the hell did I get through here: The underbrush was thick, making the going hard. She had been walking ever since Gaara had left her at the edge of the desert, and she was beginning to tire again; mentally and physically.

It was dark, cold, and Takai longed for companionship, the silence was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Not much of a 'lone wolf' am I?" She mocked herself. Suddenly the wind shifted completely, so that she herself was down wind. Stopping for a second, she sniffed the air, sorting through the different scents that the wind brought. There, faint on the wind, was the familiar scent of Konoha, its different smells mixing to become what she had become accustomed to being surrounded by all the time.

---------------------------------------

"Takai!" Cheza gasped as the wolf tiredly walked through the front door of their house. "Where have you been?"

"No where…" Takai replied right before her legs gave out. Suddenly Kakashi was at her side, supporting her.

"You okay?" He asked as her put her arm around his shoulder.

Takai didn't get the chance to answer because Naruto suddenly ran out of the kitchen, followed by Sasuke and Sakura, who walked.

"Takai, you're back!" The blond yelled. "We were worried about you!"

"Really…?" Takai asked, astounded. :T-they care:

"Of course!" Exclaimed Sakura. Sasuke nodded his agreement.

"You were gone for a week, what were you doing?" The Uchila stated.

"I'm sorry… I just needed to sort out my emotions…"

"Kakashi told us what happened." Sakura said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Takai said simply. "It's in the past. What's done is done."

"Oh, by the way," Kakashi said looking down at her, "We have a mission, will you be ready tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay by then." Takai's stomach growled. "Hey guys, remember that 'week without food' thing? Just 'cause I can go without food doesn't mean I can't get really hungry."

---------------------------------------

Takai lay quietly on her bed, Cheza gently stroking her as she slept. She was in her wolf form, and her black fur gleamed in the moonlight that made it into her room.

"Is she going to be alright?" Sakura asked quietly, afraid to wake the sleeping wolf.

"Yes," Cheza said quietly, "This One… believes that she will be fine after she sleeps."

"Tell me," Kakashi stated, "why are the two of you here?"

"The Nobles, they can't find us here… we are safe. Takai... she is the only one that survived. She is all that This One has left."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Kiba and the others, This One can't scene them anymore… They are dead. That's why Takai fights so hard… so much… It's because they wouldn't let her fight. They said that she had to protect This One, to forget about them."

"T-that's so sad…" Naruto mumbled.

"She blames herself for their deaths… She dreams about them, you know? This One can tell. She dreams about how they died, and how she could have stopped it… Sometimes she'll wake up screaming…" Silent tears were running down Cheza's face.

Kakashi gently put a hand on Cheza's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over it. I'll be back tomorrow morning to get Takai, so see if you can get her up, okay?"

Cheza nodded her head gently, but stayed at Takai's side as the group of shinobi left the room.

* * *

Images flashed by, their speed making it seem like Takai was standing still. They played, over and over and over again, letting her get used to the pattern of rapidly changing scenes. Then, they stopped, and Takai found herself in the midst of one. 

She was in front of her team, but opposite her was her pack. Suddenly, Tsume charged at her and she found herself fighting back.

Then the scene shifted, and they were in the Hokage's office. The Hokage said something and Kiba slammed his palms down on the desk in anger.

She and Tsume were in a forest. He seemed upset about something and wouldn't look Takai in the eye. He suddenly took a step forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Flames. Hot, searing flames surrounded Takai's body. Her body didn't move nor feel the flames; it was dead.

Out of the blue a low, masculine, and evil voice called out. "You're mine, little wolf." It said in a pleased voice. "You were born mine, and now I have come to collect you." The voice started to laugh hysterically. "And there's nothing you can do about it!"

* * *

Takai shot upright in bed, beads of sweat covering her body. That was _not_ the usual dream. But despite the horrible dream, Takai felt well rested. The strange images must have been brought on by her ordeal. 

She looked out the glass door on the other side of the room. "Oh, it's sunny," She said, still half asleep, "what a nice day for a mission……" Then it hit her. "A MISSION!" She leaped out of her bed and raced out of her room and down the hallway. She was going so fast that she nearly missed the door to the bathroom. "Damn it, I have to take a shower, and get ready…" She continued to rant to herself as she turned on the shower.

---------------------------------------

Kakashi knocked on the door to Takai's house. He was late as always, and he rehearsed his excuse in his head as he waited for the door to open.

"Yes?" Cheza answered the door, smiling as usual.

"Hello, Is Takai-"

"CHEZA, DON'T YOU DARE ANSWER THE DOOR! I'M NOT READY YET!" Takai yelled from somewhere within the house.

"I see I'm early." Kakashi stated as he walked into the main entryway. Takai was scrambling around, trying to get ready all at once.

"Cheza! Have you seen-" She yelled as she appeared around a corner.

"Next to your bed." Cheza answered with a sigh. Then the Flower Maiden turned to Kakashi. "Keep her safe. This One needs her."

Kakashi nodded his head. He had found out just how important Takai was to Cheza.

Just then Takai skidded to a halt in front of him. "Okay, now I'm ready!" She gasped, slightly out of breath. She was wearing faded jeans that were torn at the knees, and a blood red tank top. Her headband was tied around her neck like a collar, and on each wrist she wore two silver bracelets that clinked when she moved. Her blond hair was tied back at nape of her neck, keeping it out of her way. Her blue eyes seemed distracted, and were tinged with golden streaks. In her right hand Takai gripped her ever-present knife.

"Now I have an excuse as to why I'm late." Kakashi teased. Takai narrowed her eyes slightly, but didn't say anything as a response. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, one minute though." Takai tuned around and embraced Cheza. "Stay safe, okay?" Her voice was quiet, soothing.

Cheza nodded her head. "This One will be here waiting for you."

"I know Cheza. I promise, on my pride as a wolf, that I'll come back." Takai let go of Cheza and stepped out the door, closing it behind her. "So," She turned to her sensei, "where we headed?"

Kakashi looked down at the wolf, her true form hidden from him. She was so good at hiding her true emotions, he would be surprised if he found out that the Takai Naruto knew as a friend was the same person Takai really was under all her defenses. The only time she showed her true emotions and disposition was when she was fighting, and she was quickly learning to mask them off even then.

"I told your teammates that I would meet them on the bridge. Why the sudden interest?"

Takai looked up at her sensei, and smirked. Her blue eyes were full of mischief and they flashed golden for a second. "Race ya' there!" She yelled, her voice full of laughter, before taking off. She sprinted off into the distance and soon disappeared from the Jônin's sight.

* * *

"Where's Kakashi sensei and Takai? They were supposed to be here an hour ago!" Sakura exclaimed. She threw arms into the air, acting dramatic. 

Naruto tried to get Sakura's approval by agreeing with her. "Yeah, you're right Sakura! They should have been here by now!"

Sasuke was leaning on a railing, trying to stay out of the conversation. His eyes were shut, and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Suddenly he interrupted his teammates whining.

"Takai was exhausted, remember? She could barley stand, and you expect her to be here at the crack of dawn when she should be getting some much needed rest?" He opened his eyes to glare at them. He stood up and took a step away from the railing, so he was closer to where his teammates stood. "Naruto, you should remember what happens to your body when you push its limits too much."

"Yeah, I know…" Naruto looked down, remembering the time they had spent on improving their skills by tree climbing.

Suddenly the sound of sharp claws impacting with the ground reached the ears of the three genin. Takai appeared around the corner, in her wolf form, running at top speed. Her golden eyes widened slightly when she saw that Sasuke was standing in her path, but this time she had picked up his scent and was ready.

She gathered herself as she drew ever closer, and in one powerful bound, leapt over Sasuke's head. She cleared him by a good six inches, and easily landed behind him. She slowed her pace and trotted to a stop after tuning around to face her teammates.

"…Takai…" Sakura breathed quietly, "What are you doing here! You should be resting!"

Naruto was looking at Takai with awe. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly open as he mentally replayed what had just gone on in front of him. "Wow…"

Sasuke only smirked. "I see you didn't run into me this time." He had come to respect Takai; her strength and ability to make split second decisions in the heat of battle was not common among his other teammates. "But what are you doing? Sakura's right, you should be taking it easy, not sprinting through the streets at break-neck speeds."

Takai changed to her human form and stretched. "Come on guys, I'm fine. There was a full moon last night so I was able to heal faster. And I was running because I was trying to see if racing Kakashi would get him here any faster." The bracelets on her wrists clinked as she put her arms behind her head, stretching even more.

As if on cue, Kakashi appeared in a nearby tree, waving good morning to his pupils. "Hello everyone!" He said in his usual aloof voice. "I'm late because today I strayed from my path to follow a stray wolf."

"Technically… he's right…" Takai mumbled under her breath, her words only for her three teammates to hear. She heard Sasuke chuckle and Sakura and Naruto broke into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Their sensei asked as her appeared in the middle of the group.

"You" Takai said as she coughed, disguising her disrespect as a simple clearing of the throat.

"Well, anyway," Kakashi continued, "Our mission today is to deliver this scroll to a village up North. It shouldn't be to hard, which is good considering this is our first mission with Takai."

:Will there be snow: Takai pondered as she followed her team out the gates of Konoha. She had been born in a snowy region, and had a soft spot for that chilling type of weather. :As long as we don't get anywhere near Freeze City, I'll be fine with this mission…:

And so the five started off on their short journey to the village in the North.

* * *

Koinu: So, there it is, the ninth chapter of Broken Howl. Just to let you all know, there will be an ending for this story. Sorry, but it wont keep going on, and on, and on like the Energizer Bunny. Well, as always, review to let me know what you think. 


	10. Reunion

Koinu: I'm so sad! I recived only one review for my last chapter! Please, please people, review. It doesn't take very long, and it affects my writing and when I update. So if you want more updates, then I need more reviews.

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"I still think that was too easy!" Takai said sarcastically as she and her team walked through the forest. The ground was lightly dusted with freshly fallen snow, and more of the small, feather light, ice crystals fell from the dark sky as they traveled through the pitch-black night. It had been two days since they had left the small Village to the North of their home in Konoha, and a total of five days, including their day of rest in the Northern village, since they had begun the mission. 

"Think what you want," Kakashi stated, "but I had to put up with the four of you. I'm exhausted." He was walking behind the group, or more accurate, groups. Sasuke was by himself, other than Takai who walked a slight distance ahead of him, and Naruto was talking excitedly with Sakura up in the front. Sakura looked like she was ready to punch Naruto to get him to shut up. Takai dropped back to walk next to Kakashi.

"Sensei, can I ask you something?" Takai stared intently at Naruto and Sakura.

"What is it?" Kakashi said in a level tone.

Takai's voice became a whisper. "Do they," She indicated towards Sakura and Sasuke, "know about the Kyuubi, the nine tailed demon fox?"

Kakashi continued to walk as if all Takai had asked was the time. "How long have you known?" He asked.

"Quite some time." Se responded. "His scent was different then any human's I've ever encountered. So I did my research. It's surprising how openly some people will talk about how much they despise him for being what he is when they think there is no one to hear them. So, do they know?"

"No, and no one in the village intends to tell them. Naruto's peers will stay ignorant to his secret."

"That means Naruto and I have a lot in common. We both know how it feels to be hated for what you are, not who."

The group walked in silence for a while, but Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks suddenly.

"What is it Sasuke?" Sakura asked as she and Naruto stopped as well.

"I saw something move…" He said quietly. "Takai, can you tell if there's anything out there?"

Takai sniffed the air; nothing. "No, we're up wind, I don't smell anything."

"Well then…" Kakashi spoke to no one in particular. He suddenly did a few hand signs and the wind shifted and became stronger.

:The great copy ninja strikes again: Takai raised her nose to wind. "There's eight, no nine, distinct scents… Five are human," She closed her eyes in concentration, "And the other four are being cloaked, but they might be dogs…"

"Dogs?" A voice range from somewhere above cell number seven. "What an insult."

Suddenly four figures jumped out of the darkness that enshrouded the nearby trees, landing in front of Sakura and Naruto, who were still a distance away from the main group. Sakura screamed and Naruto cried out in pain.

"Naruto! Sakura!" Takai yelled as she ran up to where her friends were. She was dimly aware of Sasuke and Kakashi as they followed behind her.

As she approached Takai smelled the stench of human blood. The crimson liquid seeped out of a wound on Naruto's right hand. The figures receded into the darkness, letting the shadows veil their forms.

"Let me see it." Takai instructed Naruto as she grabbed his wrist, not waiting for a response. :Something's claws inflicted this wound: Indeed, the cuts on the boy's hands had come from the claws of some creature. Takai sighed. "Don't worry, at least you won't die of blood loss."

All the while, the figures had been moving closer to one another. Now they sat there, shadowed body's that sat motionless. Not even their eyes were visible.

"Ready?" Kakashi said quietly from behind Takai. He and Sasuke had moved into formation, him behind the group and Sasuke next to Sakura, directly opposite Takai who stood at Naruto's side. Silently, the two pulled out some shuriken, and Takai followed suit.

"Now!" Kakashi yelled as he threw his shuriken. Takai and Sasuke did the same, but pulled kunai out of their weapons pouches as soon as their hands were free just in case the shuriken missed their target.

The shuriken flew towards the animalistic shapes that stood before the group. With a dull 'thunk' they hit their targets. Howling in pain, the form's retreated into the safety of the shadows.

"W-we did it!" Sakura said, her surprise making itself known through the squeaks in her voice.

"I wouldn't get too exited just yet, Sakura." Kakashi advised.

Sasuke and Naruto stayed silent, but cocky smiles could be found on both their faces. Takai, on the other hand, kept a firm grip on the kunai in her right hand, and prepared herself. She could still sense the presence of their attackers not far away.

"You poor, poor fools," A new, masculine voice crooned from within the shadows, "Did you really think that we would be defeated so easily?"

Takai stiffened, and her face went pale. :That voice… it's so familiar… Could it be? No, there's no way, they're dead… it isn't possible:

The voice laughed. "Ha! Now you will see the true power of the wolves!"

Everyone gasped and looked at Takai, who was walking to the front of the group. She seemed to be having a hard time keeping herself composed and in human form.

"Shut up, Tsume." She growled. The laughing stopped. "So… now you listen to me?" She paused for a moment, and then threw her kunai at a shadow in front of her that had shifted just slightly. The cry of an adolescent boy could be heard, and then the night was filled with the stench of wolf's blood.

Growls erupted all around the tight group of ninjas, but Takai smiled.

"Heh, from the sound of things… I guess I hit Toboe?" Takai smirked, but on the inside she dying, the fact that she had injured one of her own eating away at her.

Suddenly, four wolves appeared before her, all in human form. They growled, and hatred burned in their eyes. The youngest had a kunai protruding from his leg.

Sasuke dared ask a question. "So, you know these guy's?" He asked Takai

Takai backed up a few steps and took a defensive stance in front of her friends. "Yeah," She said loudly enough for all to hear, "they used to be my pack."

* * *

Cheza stood outside the house, bathing in the light of the once full moon. She stared up at it with unseeing eyes, able to scense its beauty and power. 

Suddenly the stench of wolf's blood came to her. But this was blood that should have never been spilled again.

"Toboe…?" She said quietly. She turned to stare at the forest that lay on the other side of Konoha's gates, and her red eyes suddenly widened. "He's here…Kiba… KIBA!" The flower maiden didn't hesitate before running off into the forest.

* * *

"Hey Hige, she smells like Takai…" The young wolf called Toboe said quietly to one of his companions. 

"I know Toboe." Hige whispered back quickly. "But it can't be."

"It's her all right." The white wolf suddenly stated. "I'd know those eyes anywhere. Plus she has Cheza's scent on her." Kiba finished.

The gray wolf spoke up. "Well that's interesting. It seems our old friend runs with a pack of humans now. I thought you abhorred all humans Takai."

"Shut the hell up Tsume." :It can't be them… They're probably just ninjas that are using a transformation jutsu: Takai pulled out Tsume's old knife from her weapons pouch and held it in front of her, ready to strike. She slowly moved backwards towards her group, until she was right besides them.

"So Takai," Kakashi seemed intrigued by the new situation, "what do you suggest we do?"

"You guys go take care of the humans, I'll keep the wolves busy."

"Be careful…" Sasuke muttered before disappearing along with the other ninja of their team.

"Don't worry about me…" Takai gripped the knife harder and the bracelets on her wrists clinked.

"Enough of this!" Tsume suddenly charged at Takai and she narrowly avoided the blow. While his back was to her, Takai swiftly kicked Tsume in the back, sending him sprawling on the ground.

"Tsume!" Toboe cried. The young wolf changed to his true form and lunged for Takai. He succeeded in clamping his jaws down on her leg only to be throw away. He hit a tree and slumped to the ground, temporarily injured.

"No! Toboe!" Hige rushed at Takai, still in his human form and fists at the ready.

"To slow…" Takai mumbled as she elbowed Hige sharply in the stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs and stopping his attack. :Now, it's time to see who these guys really are:

Takai threw a punch at Kiba, who had been following Hige in his attack. Her fist connected with his chest. He was stunned, but not thrown back. Suddenly, Takai grabbed the collar of his shirt in her right hand, while her other came to her chest in a hand sign. Her icy blue eyes were tinged with gold as they met his gaze.

"Tomo-kenzan no jutsu!" In the span of a second, Takai knew that the wolves fighting her were who they claimed to be. She had seen into Kiba's mind and had learned everything that had happened to them. Everything they had done, and everything they hadn't.

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Koinu: I only have one thing to say to all you readers out there; _**Review**_. 


	11. Truths

Koinu: Hi everyone! Just to let you know ahead of time, this may be my only update until next week. Just letting you know. But, on a different note, I need ideas for my other fic, **The Tanuki and the Wolf**. If you could give me some ideas (as well as info in Gaara's background) I would be extemely grateful.

* * *

In the span of a second, Takai knew that the wolves fighting her were who they claimed to be. She had seen into Kiba's mind and had learned everything that had happened to them. Everything they had done, and everything they hadn't.

"NO!" Takai threw herself away from the white wolf, unable to believe what she had learned. "No, you couldn't have… you wouldn't…" She mumbled. She took another step back and then fell to her knees, weeping. "You abandoned us!" She shirked at Kiba, tears flowing down her face.

"They told you were dead." Tsume's cold voice sounded from behind Takai. "They said that the Nobles killed you and then carted your bodies off."

"And you believed that garbage!" Takai screamed as she turned her upped body to face Tsume. "First off; why would the Nobles kill Cheza too?" In her anger she flung Tsume's knife at him.

The blade skidded to a stop by his feet, but all Tsume could do was stare at it. Takai had kept it all this time, ever since the battle where they had gotten split up. It made no sense to him.

"Kiba!" Suddenly Cheza's voice range through the darkness.

"Cheza? … Cheza!" Kiba yelled as Cheza burst into the area. She ran up to the white wolf and embraced him.

"It's okay Kiba, This One is here now, This One is with you again."

"We… we thought you were dead…" Takai stuttered out. She was staring at the ground as her tears continued to fall freely from her eyes. "Cheza and I… we went back… We went back to the battlefield. There wasn't anything… no paw prints, no blood, no body's, no _scent_. You were just gone, with nothing to prove that you were still alive." She paused to pull the silver bracelets off her wrists. "All that was left were these… and they were covered in you blood…" She took the bracelets and tossed them at Toboe, who was still standing next to the tree he had been thrown into.

"Having fun with my little pups?" A mans unfamiliar voice cooed from behind Takai. She turned around to face him while still in her kneeling position. "I'm sorry," He pressed a kunai against Takai's neck, "but the fun has to stop know. It seems your friends have killed all of my friends, so in return… I'm gonna take your life."

"Not today human…" In the blink of an eye Takai was in her wolf form, and her teeth were sinking into the man's neck. He fell to the ground; dead. The wolves gasped, never had they seen Takai take a life without pause like that.

"Well Takai," Kakashi appeared in front of her followed by the rest of her team, "it appears that you have just killed our last suspect…"

Takai changed to her human form and walked past her sensei. "You can take them in for questioning." She motioned towards the wolves.

"What!" Hige yelled. "You can't do that to us Takai!"

Takai turned to face Hige and the other wolves. There was absolutely no emotion on her face or in her voice. "Watch me… You four are suspects in the assault and attempted assassination of five ninjas from Konohagakure, and you are to be brought in for questioning. If you come peacefully then no harm will come to any of you."

"Is this how you treat your friends now Takai?" Kiba asked. "Have these humans changed you that much?"

Takai didn't answer Kiba, but instead turned back to Kakashi. "Sensei," She began, "Naruto was injured. I doubt these guys will give you any trouble, so may I have permission to take him back to Konoha to have his wound taken care of?"

Kakashi looked down at Takai. He could see that keeping her here would only cause more trouble between her and the other wolves. "Permission granted Takai, I'll see you and Naruto later."

"Bye Kakashi sensei…" She took hold of Naruto's good hand. "Come on Naruto…" The others watched as the two leaped away.

"So," Tsume started, "Takai's become your pet has she?"

"She's not a pet!" Sasuke spat at the gray wolf. "She's our comrade and our friend. And we would never abandon her."

Sakura stared at her crush. "… Sasuke…… Sasuke's right! Takai is our friend, and we don't care if she's different! She's better that all of us, and worked hard to get her headband!"

Kakashi decided to add on to the one-way conversation. "The week after she went back to the battle field… all of Konoha could hear her howling with grief."

* * *

"I don't understand Takai," Naruto looked up at the wolf as they leaped through the trees, "aren't those guys your friends? I thought you would want to talk to them." 

"Naruto," Takai's voice was distant, her words faint, "do you know how I got my headband?"

"No, and I don't see what it has to do with anything!"

"Iruka sensei… and the Lord Hokage… They said that if I mastered a jutsu I would be able to graduate. My jutsu Naruto, it allows me to manipulate my vision in various ways. I can read minds Naruto, and I was able to read Kiba's mind. … They didn't even look for me Naruto; they abandoned me and Cheza for dead without any proof. I don't know if I can forgive them for that…"

The two landed outside the village gate just as Takai finished her explanation. She was wiping tears from her eyes with her one free hand while the other griped Naruto's good hand.

"Come on," Takai said quietly, "we need to get you to the hospital to get that wound taken care of."

---------------------------------------

"And just where did you get this!" The nurse scolded Naruto as she examined his hand.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "On our mission…" He stole a glance at Takai, who was standing at his side, secretly glaring at the nurse.

"I don't know what kind of animal could have inflicted this wound, but…"

"It was a feral dog." Takai interjected. "It looked pretty thin so I think it attacked us out of desperation."

The nurse glared at Takai. "So why is he the only one injured?" She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Because," Takai said, "Naruto's the clumsiest. Plus he thought, and I quote, it was a 'Nice little doggie'."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head again and grinned his infamous stupid innocent smile. The nurse scoffed at him but reached for a bottle of alcohol and some sterile bandages.

"Well then, we'll just clean this up and then you can be on your way."

"Yes!" Naruto punched the air with his good hand. "Hey Takai, lets go out for Ramon!"

Takai smiled at her blond, demonic companion. :He just keeps on going…: "Sure. And since you're injured I'll pay."

"Yeah, thanks Takai!"

"Don't mention it…" Takai said quietly.

---------------------------------------

"I just don't get it Naruto," Takai was walking with him through the dark streets of Konohagakure Village, "how can you eat so much Ramon and not get sick? It's as if your stomach is a bottomless pit or something!" She had eaten only one bowl of Ramon, while Naruto on the other hand had consumed three.

Naruto smirked. "Heh, a great ninja like me has to keep up his strength!"

"You're a strange one Naruto, you know that?"

"Well I could say the same for you! Not wanting to see your friends after being separated from them for more than half a year!" Naruto stopped walking suddenly, turning face Takai with his arms crossed across his chest.

Takai sighed and looked up at the moon. It was half full and stood out, strikingly bright against the black backdrop of night with its random patches of twinkling stars. Her golden eyes suddenly became transfixed on that moon and those stars, as if they would supply her with an explanation to give to her young friend.

"Naruto… your parents… they left you when you were young, right? Well… how would you feel if they suddenly came back?"

Naruto looked at the wolf, her true form showing through to him as plain as day. Her black fur gleamed in the half-light provided by the moon that her tired golden eyes stared at so intently. He half expected her to break out into a howl right there in front of him, but Takai stayed quiet, awaiting his answer with a calm patience that would have driven some insane.

"I… I would…" Naruto was interrupted as Takai suddenly turned in the direction of the Hokage's office, her head up and ears alert.

Suddenly she sprinted off in the direction she had been facing, her sharp claws clicking against the pavement as she ran off. At the end of the street she stopped and looked back at Naruto, as if waiting for him to follow.

"Come on slowpoke!" She called over her shoulder.

"I… I'm coming!" Naruto yelled as he followed after Takai's fleeing form.

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Takai and Naruto crouched on the roof of the Hokage's office, listening eagerly to the conversation going on inside.

"So what was your reason for attacking these ninja?" The Hokage's voice could be heard through the wall.

"We were instructed to attack the next group of people who passed through that area." Kiba's voice range out. "We didn't target them specifically."

"And why were the four of you with those ninjas in the first place?"

"They said they could help us get revenge on the people who caused Takai's and Cheza's deaths."

"So you believed them to be dead?"

"That's what he's saying." Tsume's voice held a slight hint of a growl.

The two snooping genin sat motionless on the roof, oblivious to the silent form that was sneaking up behind them.

"Yo!" Kakashi called out from right behind Takai and Naruto. The pair jumped about a foot in the air before being caught by their sensei. "It's impolite to listen in on others conversations."

Kakashi roughly held the two off the ground by the scruff of the neck, literally for Takai, and carried them back down to ground level, and into the Hokage's office building, and then finally in the Lord's office its self. Once there he dropped the two on the floor.

"Ow! What the hell was that for sensei!" Takai growled from her position on the ground.

"Takai, Naruto… how nice of you to join us." The Hokage sighed.

"Glad you could make it." Sasuke smirked. "So, what was your cover story for the dunce?"

Takai almost laughed. "Naruto was bit by a feral dog… Actually, it's not that far from the truth." She stopped to cast a sidelong glare at Tsume. Tsume responded with a small snarl and then looked away.

"What the hell is with you?" Hige yelled, walking right up to where Takai still sat. "Why are you acting this way towards us, we're your pack!"

"Don't push it Hige." Takai growled.

"Just answer me!"

"Why should I!" Takai lunged at the Hige in her wolf form, but was suddenly jerked back by Kakashi as he caught her headband. She glared up at the silver haired Jônin

"No attacking the witnesses." He said simply. "You're even worse than Naruto…"

"Don't tell me you actually do what these humans say Takai." Tsume mumbled from where he leaned against the wall. "I guess you've become one of their dogs."

Takai moved faster than Kakashi's visible eye could comprehend. One second she was in front of him, glaring, the next she had Tsume on the ground with a kunai pressed against his throat.

"Crap!" Sasuke ran over to where Takai had the gray wolf pinned, closely followed by Naruto. Together the two tried to pull Takai off of Tsume, but to no avail. The black wolf was stronger than they were.

"Takai! Stop it!" Cheza's voice cut through the air as she pulled herself out of Kiba's light embrace. The Flower Maiden ran closer to Takai, screaming. "Stop it! This One does not wish to see you fight your friends!"

Takai's eyes widened and she gasped; as if she just then realized what she was doing. She released her grip on Tsume and was immediately thrown back by Naruto and Sasuke. She sat on the floor, taking in great breaths of air. So much was going on right now. Takai subconsciously used her Tomo-kenzan no jutsu.

She stared around the room, the thoughts and feelings of its occupants open to her when she made eye contact with them. Sadness and confusion from Toboe. Confusion, anger, and a taint of pity from Hige, Kiba, and Kakashi. Indifference from Sasuke, uneasiness from Sakura, and worry from Naruto. Anger from Tsume. Plus the unbearable, heart-wrenching sorrow from Cheza.

Takai's eyes fell upon those of the third Hokage's. It wasn't so much his feelings that interested Takai, but his thoughts. He was pondering when to tell her that her old pack was going to take up residence in her house.

Takai dropped the jutsu and growled in annoyance. Without warning she changed to her wolf form and rushed out of the room, her claws digging into the wood and leaving gouges. The others stared after her, most perplexed by her behavior.

"Wait, Takai!" Sakura called after her teammate. "Where do you think she's going, Kakashi sensei?"

"She could be running away again…. But she probably wont…" Kakashi replied.

"She used her jutsu." The Hokage said suddenly. "She must have read my mind and found out that I was planning on letting you four stay at her house." He sighed and rested his head in his hands. "Poor girl, the emotional stress must be getting to her…"

* * *

Takai leaned against the inside frame of her open sliding glass door. She stared up at the waning moon and a single tear ran down her cheek. Deep down she was happy that her pack was alive, but she was angry with them. How could they just leave her without even looking? She had thought that they would at least look for Cheza. 

At the front of the house she heard the main door open and then close, but the sound didn't register in her mind. She heard muffled voices, ones that were familiar to her, but they seemed distant, without meaning. The sound of footsteps came to her, but they were met by deaf ears. Takai didn't even spare a glance at her door when it opened to reveal Tsume and the rest of her old pack.

"Hey, you okay Takai?" Toboe asked quietly.

"Go away…" Was Takai's almost inaudible response, "I just want to be left alone…"

"Do I ever go away when Tsume wants to be left alone?" The young wolf put his hands on his hips to look defiant.

Takai continued to stare at the moon. "No, you never go away…. None of you… ever go away…" Another silent tear ran down her cheek.

"Awe, come on Takai, don't cry." Hige tried to console his old friend. "I mean, we're all together again, we should be celebrating!"

"Celebrations… are for happy occasions…" Takai mused quietly.

Kiba walked forward to the front of the group. "Takai, we're sorry we left you, we just thought that you were dead too…"

Takai remained silent, but her eyes never left the moon. Suddenly Tsume was in front of her, blocking the moon and forcing her to look at him.

"Takai…" He said as he stared into her eyes, seeing for the first time the hurt and sorrow that they held. "What's wrong? Can you please just talk to us?"

"I… not now…" Takai tried to slip out the door, away from Tsume, but he gently caught her wrist as she tried to flee.

"Takai… please?" He mumbled, sadness and regret echoing in his voice.

"Do I really mean that much to you?" Takai questioned, her eyes filling up with tears again. Tsume responded by shaking his head in agreement. The other wolvesstood in muted anticipation as they waited for Takai's response.

Suddenly Takai ran up to Tsume, pressing herself against him as she sobbed. The tears flowed freely from her eyes as she clung to wolf she had once loved.

* * *

Koinu: I was crying when I wrote this... and now I'm crying again! (sobs) Oh well, now that you've read, please review. Thanks. 


	12. New mission

Koinu: Hi everyone! SorryI'm late with the update, I was sick over the weekend. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Morning found the five wolves and the Flower Maiden sleeping peacefully in Takai's room. All the wolves were sleeping in their true form. Cheza slept leaning against a wall with Kiba's head in her lap as he slept. Hige and Toboe were laying in different spots on the floor, both resting outstretched in comfortable positions. Hige was snoring quietly as he slept.

Takai and Tsume were sleeping contently on her bed side by side. Slowly, Takai's eyes flickered open, her gaze landing on Tsume, his breathing peaceful as he slept. She smiled, glad to once again feel his warm body beside her own. Then it dawned on her; the horrifying dream of their deaths hadn't visited her sleeping mind that night. She was free of it.

Takai cuddled up closer to Tsume, nuzzling him with her nose. He responded by opening one golden eye and licking her face.

"Morning sunshine." He said quietly. He changed to his human form and stroked her head with his hand. "Have a nice sleep?"

"Yeah." Takai also changed to her human and rested her head on Tsume's chest. All of a sudden Tsume lifted her chin and planted a soft, unexpected kiss on her lips. Takai was surprised; Tsume had never done anything like this before.

"Get a room you two." Hige yawned. "Jeez…"

Takai smiled. :Same old Hige: "What, are you jealous Hige? You never tell Kiba and Cheza to get a room."

"Yeah, well they don't start making out in public. They do it away from everyone else, isn't that right Kiba?"

Kiba opened one eye to look at Hige, and then promptly closed it again. Cheza smiled and stroked the white wolf's head.

"So, I guess everyone's up know." Toboe said cheerily, getting into a sitting position. Suddenly the young wolf's stomach growled, causing Takai to laugh slightly.

"Stop that Toboe," Hige complained, "you're making me hungry."

Takai laughed, and for once it was full of real amusement and joy. "Your always hungry Hige! Luckily for you, here in Konoha we keep our refrigerators stocked just in case."

"So," Toboe started, "you and Cheza live here, Takai?"

"For the past half a year, yeah. It seems the Nobles didn't think to look for Cheza in a place like this, so we haven't needed to worry about them."

"Is that why your wearing this?" Tsume fingered Takai's headband, which was still around her neck. "So you can fit in here?"

"That," Takai stated, "that marks me as a full fledged ninja from this village, a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Leaves." She chuckled. "I can fight my own fights now."

"And your aim has improved." Toboe said as he rubbed his hurt leg.

Takai laughed nervously. "So, about that food…"

---------------------------------------

"What _is _this stuff…?" Kiba questioned as he stared at the bowl of food in front of him. Hige was already eating his, but Toboe and Tsume were also apprehensive of the strange food.

"It's Ramon!" Takai said. "Oh come on, it's not going to kill you, see?" She slurped up some of her own Ramon to show that it wasn't poisoned and, in fact, was edible.

"If you say so…" Slowly, the three apprehensive wolves started to eat the Ramon. Just then, a small blur of orange burst through the door, almost tackling Takai to the ground. Naruto laughed as Takai jumped out of the way to avoid being knocked down.

"It's called a doorbell, Naruto!" Takai yelled at her friend, but with a sarcastic edge that made her sound insincere.

"Yeah, well I needed to tell you that… **RAMON**! Can I have some, please Takai?" He tried to look pitiful, completely ignoring the fact that he had changed the subject suddenly.

"Oh look, it's that punk from yesterday." Tsume scoffed. "How's your hand kid?"

"Come on Tsume, knock it off…" Toboe warned in a hushed voice.

"Why should I-." Tsume's response was cut off as Naruto appeared behind him, a kunai pressed to the back of the gray wolf's neck.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, his voice dead serious. "If that's your way of challenging me, then I accept."

"Naruto…?" Takai silently forewarned her friend against an action that he may regret.

Stunned by the human boy's actions, Kiba turned to Cheza to see how she was reacting. The Flower Maiden didn't seem to be concerned with Tsume's current predicament, so the white wolf stopped worrying. He chuckled as the color drained from Tsume's face.

"Um, Takai… a little help here?" Tsume asked for assistance, a very rare event.

Takai laughed. "Maybe you should apologize." She said. "Naruto is my friend, and I'm gonna take his side right now, so don't even try anything sneaky."

All of a sudden Naruto appeared at Takai's side again. "So, you guys friends again?"

Takai leaned back against the table. "You could say that." She smiled.

"That's great Takai! Now, can I please have some Ramon?"

Takai laughed at Naruto. "Go ahead and eat mine, I'm not that hungry."

The group spent the next half an hour eating Ramon, laughing, and telling stories, mainly about Takai and how she used to be. Toboe, who liked humans the most, did most of the talking for the wolves, but occasionally Hige and Kiba joined in. Without warning though, there was a knock at the front door.

"Hm, I wonder who that could be?" Takai pondered as she made her way to the front door. Again, there was a knock, this time louder and more urgent. "I'm coming!" Takai yelled so the person knocking could hear her through the door. She unlocked the door and opened it to reveal Sasuke.

"Naruto, you idiot, you were supposed to get Takai and bring her back to the Hokage's office!" Sasuke yelled past Takai.

"Um, am I missing something?" Takai asked Sasuke as he glared at Naruto.

"We have a new mission."

---------------------------------------

Team seven stood, somewhat impatiently, in the Lord Hokage's office. The four other wolves that made up Takai's old pack, plus Cheza, accompanied them. All ten of them were awaiting the Hokage's arrival.

Kakashi was leaning against a wall, idly turning the pages of one of his books. Sakura was pacing, as was Naruto and Sasuke, but in a much more dramatic way. Hige was sprawled on the floor, staring up at the ceiling in his boredom. Toboe sat with his back to a wall and Tsume stood with his arms across his chest nearby. Kiba and Cheza were standing contently in each other's embrace. Then there was Takai, who sat upon the Hokage's desk, twirling a kunai between her fingers like a baton.

"Man…" Tsume sounded extremely annoyed. "When is the old fart going to get here?"

"How are we supposed to know?" Sasuke snapped back. If possible, his mood was even worse than usual.

"I don't know… he's _your_ Lord." Tsume shot back.

:This doesn't look good…: Takai thought as she looked from Tsume, to Sasuke, and back to Tsume again.

"Do you want a piece of me, wolf!" Sasuke yelled.

"Maybe I do, human!" Tsume shouted back.

The two were almost at blows when Takai spoke up. "Shut up you two." She said sternly. With a flick of her wrist she threw her kunai, which struck the ground between the two. "You barely even know each other, yet you are fighting like siblings."

"You took my job, Takai." Kakashi lazily stated without looking up from his book.

"That's 'cause you weren't going to do your job. Some master you are…"

Cheza smiled up at Kiba. "It seems Tsume hasn't changed at all."

"Yeah," Kiba smiled as well, "same old Tsume, always picking fights with everyone."

"Hey," Tsume interjected, "if I remember correctly, you were the one who picked a fight with a whole pack of wolves because you thought they were acting like dogs."

Takai suddenly burst out laughing. "Ah, good times… good times…" She mused while giggling slightly.

"But Takai," Toboe spoke up, "you weren't even there. That happened before you joined us."

Takai stopped laughing almost as suddenly as she had started. "Oh… I guess your right Toboe…"

At that moment the door opened and the Hokage stepped through. "I'm sorry if I kept you all waiting." He apologized. "I had an over active grandson to deal with…" He shot a sidelong glance at Naruto. "Of all people to copy…" He murmured under his breath.

Takai quickly hopped off of the desk she had been perched on. "So, Sasuke tells me we have a new mission. What is it?" Her voice sounded eager. "Kakashi sensei won't tell us anything!" She casually took out another kunai and began to twirl it in the same manner she had the first.

The Hokage pulled the brim of his hat over his face. "That's because Kakashi doesn't know anything."

"What!" Sakura practically screamed, making Sasuke flinch slightly because of her high pitched tone. "Why doesn't Master Kakashi know anything about our mission?" The said sensei pocketed his book and walked over to where the Hokage sat at his desk.

"Because I wanted to tell you all at once." The Hokage looked up, and beckoned to the wolves. "Kiba, this may concern your pack also."

:How could this have anything to do with Kiba and the others: Takai's eyes questioned the Lord. "So…"

"So what is it?" Naruto burst out, interrupting Takai.

"I'm getting there, Naruto." The Hokage took a deep breath and paused. Everyone stood in silent anticipation. "This time… your mission is an assassination attempt."

"What…?" The single word was spoken by almost every being in the room. Kakashi's visible eye widened, there was a sharp intake of breath from Sakura, and Sasuke perked up, his interest easily seen.

"Who…?" Naruto asked.

The Hokage sighed. "The Noble know as Jaguara."

* * *

Koinu: Wow, an assassination, thats gonna be interesting. And they have to assassinate Lady Jaguara! This is not going to be easy. Review everyone, or no more updates! 


	13. I promise

Koinu: Sup people, I'm back. As you may have noticed, my updates are becoming fewer and fewer in conparison to what they were before. Well, thats because when I first posted this story I had about twelve of the chapters already written. At this moment I am still working on the final chapters of 'Broken Howl', and I thank all you readers for sticking with me.

I would also like to say that at this moment, I am also working on my other Fic, The Tanuki and the Wolf, and although I only have the intro posted, I would like to see someone review it and give me some feed back. That said, I am also getting less feed back from this story as well, and would like to see the number of updates back to where they used to be.

Thank you, you may now enjoy the story.

* * *

"You are to assassinate Lady Jaguara, the Noble." The Hokage spoke. 

Takai froze, and the kunai she was twirling dropped to the floor with a clang.

Hige shivered. "Lady Jaguara… that's big…"

"You're kidding, right?" Kiba questioned.

The Hokage shook his head back and forth slowly. "No, I'm not…"

"What!" Kiba screamed. Angrily he slammed his hands down on the desk in front of him. "Are you mad! That's suicide! Do you want to send these kids to their death!" He growled.

The Hokage looked up sharply at Kiba. "How would you know? I have confidence in this team."

"Because we already tried!" Kiba yelled. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself. "Jaguara has hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers under her command, and not one of them will pause to take a life, let it be human or wolf."

"And neither should a shinobi." Kakashi spoke up. "But why us? Why isn't this a mission for the Black Ops team?"

"It's because of Takai, isn't it?" Tsume interupted. "It's because Jaguara has been slaughtering hundreds of wolves, and you thought she would want some revenge for her kind."

Takai laughed; a haunting, empty laugh. "I accept your mission, my Lord." Her eyes narrowed sadistically. "Jaguara will die, painfully, but with no hope for recovery."

"But Takai," Sakura questioned her teammates decision, "we are only genin, we cant possibly hope to-."

"You'll be fine." Takai interrupted. "But I think our Lord has more to add."

"Your right Takai." The Hokage spoke. "Kiba, you and your pack are welcome to accompany Kakashi's team on this mission if you want."

"Hey," Naruto complained, "why should they come along?"

"Because," The Hokage explained, "having them with you will increase your chances for success, and survival."

Takai turned to her pack. "So, you guys coming?"

---------------------------------------

"So, you think we can pull this off?" Sasuke asked as he observed his teammates as they trained.

"Of course we can!" Takai said as she ducked under one of Naruto's punches. "Anyway, we have a knuckle head, an Uchila, one of Konoha's brightest minds, and a wolf on our team. All of us, plus Kakashi sensei and my pack, makes for a very formidable force."

"I like your thinking Takai." Naruto huffed before dodging a kick.

"But Takai," Sakura sounded unsure as sat with her back to a tree, "I thought Kiba said that you already tried to assassinate Jaguara."

"Well, we did, but it wasn't a coordinated attack. We were just kind of fighting to survive, and save Cheza. Plus Hige was the only one who was intent on killing her.

"I just don't want to die…"

"Sakura, trust me. None of you will die on this mission, I promise."

* * *

Koinu: Hm, I wonder if Takai will be able to keep her promise? Well, as you all know, review to tell me what you think.

ps: I'm so sorry i couldn't update sooner, but my account was frozen for a while. Will you all please forgive me?


	14. The plan

Koinu: Sup peeps? Okay, that was just wrong! Not to self; Never do that again. So, I'm very, very sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Please forgive me!

* * *

Dawn. The pale early morning sun was just starting to appear on the horizon. Themorning was cool, the air crisp and quiet. The forest was silent, all of the nocturnal animals had already settled into their dens to sleep while the diurnal creatures were yet to awake. All of Konoha was asleep, all that is except for the mixed group of humans and wolves that stood at the village gates.

"I wish you all luck." The Lord Hokage said to the group before him. It consisted of five wolves and four humans, making a total of nine fighters who would all try to complete this mission.

"Kiba," Cheza sounded unhappy as she stood next to the Hokage, "why can't This One accompany you?"

"Because," The white wolf explained, "we don't want a rerun of what happened last time we met up with Jaguara." Cheza numbly nodded her head in agreement as she stood besides the Hokage.

"Yeah, lets get this show on the road!" Naruto suddenly yelled. "We're gonna kick Jaguara's ass, believe it!"

"I'm with him." Hige agreed.

Takai smiled as laughed weakly. "Now now Hige," She mock scolded, "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."

* * *

At Jaguara's keep, within her immaculate city, preparations were being made. It had been half a year since the Flower Maiden's alleged death, but still the proud Noble searched for a way to open her own Paradise.

"Is everything in place?" Jaguara asked one of her guards.

"Yes ma'am." He replied as he bowed.

"How many this time?"

"Fifty, my Lady."

"Good." Jaguara took a sip of the red liquid in her wineglass. "At this rate, the wolves will cease to exist."

* * *

"We'll make camp here." Kakashi stated as he dropped his pack on the ground. The sun had set an hour ago, and there was no moon tonight to light their way. "Sasuke, Naruto, go find some wood for a fire."

The two boys nodded their heads in agreement and walked off, leaving the others to set up camp. Seemingly bored, Kiba and Hige soon followed.

"So, Kakashi sensei," Sakura questioned Kakashi as she laid her sleeping bag down, "you said you had a plan B just in case we fail?"

Kakashi looked up briefly before going back to searching through his pack. "Well, I'm hoping we wont have to use it, but…" He held out a small package.

Everyone leaned in to get a better look. Toboe and Sakura seemed confused by the small parcel, but Takai's and Tsume's eyes grew wide with recognition.

"What _is_ it?" Sakura asked in wonder.

"A bomb." Takai whispered in response. Then she shifted her gaze from the diminutive explosive to her sensei, her eyes sharp and speculating. "Your planning on blowing up the whole Keep aren't you?"

"Well, yeah."

"And you think that little things gonna decimate the whole place?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

Takai smirked; she loved getting on Kakashi's nerves. "First off; its way to small. It might blow up her dinning hall, but it stands no chance against the whole keep."

Kakashi was silent for a few moments, but was soon able to regain his composer. "Well, then we'll just have to be sure she's in the dinning hall when we set it off."

"Brilliant…" Takai rolled her eyes, noticing that Naruto and the others had returned with the firewood. "Good luck explaining this to them." She motioned to the group with her head before standing up.

"Where are you going, Takai?" Toboe asked.

"I'm just going to take a walk, be back soon." Takai gave a small wave before walking into the surrounding darkness.

* * *

It had been about fifteen minutes since Takai had gone on her alleged 'walk'. In truth, she had left to try and gather her thoughts. Although she always seemed calm, this mission was scaring her more than anything else ever had before. Not even that Gaara character that she had met out in the desert had caused her heart to race with fear the way the thought of coming face-to-face with Jaguara did.

Takai took a deep breath and massaged her temples. "I've got to get myself together." She exclaimed quietly as she leaned back against a nearby tree. "Everything will be fine, no one's going to die…" Takai suddenly became serious, "I wont allow it."

"Takai…?" A familiar voice called from somewhere behind the young female wolf.

"Tsume?" Takai turned around to face the gray wolf, her hands retreating from her temples. "Tsume, what are you doing here?"

"I…" Tsume trailed off and looked at the ground. "It's just…"

:Something's up, I've never seen him act like this: "Tsume, is something wrong?" Takai's voice was full of concern as her worried gaze tried to meet Tsume's.

Tsume refused to look her in the eye. "Takai… I…" Suddenly he pulled a startled Takai into a tight embrace, "I don't want to lose you again."

Takai could feel Tsume as he shuddered against her. "Tsume… Tsume don't be silly, you won't lose me." She tried to sound cheerful and confident as she spoke.

"Takai…?" Tsume pulled away from the embrace to gaze down at Takai, worry and fear in his eyes.

"Shush now," Takai's voice was quiet and soothing, "stop worrying yourself." With that Takai leaned in, her lips meeting with Tsume's in a gentle but passionate kiss. As Takai pulled away she smiled. "You better go back and get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Tsume seemed hesitant to leave. "Aren't you coming?"

Takai smiled. "I'll be there in a minute, okay?"

Tsume nodded his agreement before tuning to walk off. "See you later."

Takai watched Tsume as he faded into the darkness. "I'm sorry Tsume," She said quietly, "but I'm afraid that I won't come back from this mission." A light smile came to her lips. "I guess we'll just have to see each other again when we get to paradise…"

* * *

Koinu: You know the drill; REVIEW! And I'm really sorry, but there are only about four chapters left in this story, but I might do a sequal. 


	15. I'm sorry, but

Koinu: Back again people! Just to lets you know again, this story is winding down. But do let that get to you, just read on and enjoy. Thank you!

* * *

"Okay, so what's the plan Kakashi sensei?" Takai didn't look at her sensei as she spoke, instead focusing her attention on the Dome off in the distance. 

"First, we get in there." Kakashi simply stated.

"You obviously know nothing about this place." Hige spoke up. "Getting into the Dome isn't the hard part, its getting into the main city and then the Keep that will be difficult."

"Huh, what do you mean by that?" Naruto asked.

"Well you see," Takai added on to Hige's information, "the Dome is split into three different sections. There's the outer city, which is pretty much just the area between the outskirts of the main city and the edge of the dome. Then there's the main city, an even deeper within that is the Keep.

"Now, the city is going to be a problem cause, you see, its so clean it has no scent. That won't bother you guys, but for us wolves it's really annoying."

"And the Keep?" Sasuke inquired.

"It's highly guarded." Kiba stated. "But there are a set of large wires that go right to its center."

"Well, that's great, but how are we going to get into the main city?" Sakura questioned.

All the wolves looked to Hige. "So, Hige…" Tsume said with a smirk, "do you think your great instincts can help us again?"

---------------------------------------

The group cautiously stepped out of the elevator. Hige looked both ways and sniffed the air, but then scowled. "Jeez, I hate this place." He whined.

Takai sniffed the air and the scowled as well. "I can't even smell you guys, and your right here next to me."

Suddenly there was a commotion nearby. "And stay out you drunk bastard!" Yelled some guys in armor from the doorway of a nearby pub.

"I'm telling you," The 'drunk bastard' shouted, "they're still out there! The wolves still exist!"

"…It's… Quent…" Takai stated in an unbelieving tone.

"Not this guy again." Kakashi shook his head.

"This won't end well…" Tsume muttered under his breath.

"Hm?" Quent turned towards the group, looking at them with blood shot eyes. "Wolves…!" In one swift motion he pulled out a hunting rifle. He pointed the firearm at Takai, who was out in front, and tried to steady his shaking hands.

"Pops, no!" A woman with short blue-black hair and a red scarf stepped up, resting a hand on Quent's shoulder. "These guys are okay, right Hige?"

"Blue…" Hige looked like he was on the verge of tears, but at the same time appeared to be on cloud nine. Without warning he ran towards Blue, who met him halfway. Both embraced each other; long lost lovers who had finally been reunited.

Slowly Quent lowered his weapon, but he continued to glare at Takai. "You, you're the one from the village."

Takai tuned away, a look of disgust on her face. "Lets cut the mushy-gushy stuff, 'kay Hige? We have a job to do."

Blue growled. "You said Hige and the others were dead!" She snarled at Takai.

Takai refused to face the mix breed. "I thought they were dead."

Hige looked at Blue, his eyes kind. "Hey, leave her alone. She thought we were dead, and we thought she and Cheza were dead. It's not her fault." Blue stopped growling but continued to glare at Takai.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had taken out his infamous book, which was a sign to the other three humans that they weren't going to be going anywhere for a while.

"So," Sakura had walked up to Blue, who was no longer hugging Hige, "you're one of Takai's friends?"

"No," Blue answered calmly, "just a pack-mate."

"Oh." Sakura looked away, slightly embarrassed.

Takai rolled her eyes. "Come on sensei, we better get going or else we'll never get out of here."

"Aw, what's the rush?" Quent's words were slurred from drinking. "What's this thing you gotta do?"

Just then a group of men dressed in sleek armor exited the building that Quent had been thrown out of. All of them were laughing, apparently having a good time, until the man bringing up the rear happened to glance back at where Takai and the others were. He wore a visor over his eyes and his expression hardened when he saw Takai.

"Wolves!" The visor bearing man yelled, alerting his friends of the canines.

"Oh crap." Takai rushed forward, her image blurred by her speed, and landed behind the man with the visor. In one swift motion she reached up and pinched a vein at the base of the mans neck. He crumpled to the ground; unconscious. His teammates soon followed him as Takai disappeared and reappeared again behind each of them in turn.

"Kakashi! We have to get out of here, **_now_**!" She screamed in desperation.

Kakashi gave a curt nod to show his understanding. "Let's get moving everyone!" He yelled before jumping onto a nearby rooftop. All of the genin and wolves followed him, other than Takai and Hige.

Hige reluctantly moved away from Blue and prepared to jump to the roof, only to be stopped by Blue.

"Hige, wait!" The blue half-breed cried as she reached for Hige.

"Blue, please…" Hige gently caressed Blue's face, "If you stay here, then I'll definitely make it out of this alive…"

"That's what you said last time!" Blue argued.

Hige smiled. "And I'm still here, aren't I? Don't worry about me Blue." With that Hige jumped away. Blue watched him go with sad eyes.

"Blue," Takai was still standing in the ally, "I need you to do me a favor."

"What?" Blue lifted a lip in a silent snarl; the two females had never gotten along.

"Blue, when this is all over I need you to take care of the guys for me, okay?" Takai was calm, but her eyes held a deep sadness. "Please Blue? All I need is to know that they'll have someone to take care of them…"

Blue didn't respond, but her expression softened and she nodded slightly.

Takai smiled. "Thank you, Blue… Oh, and goodbye…"

* * *

Inside Jaguara's Keep, four human ninja and five wolves prowled the corridors. The wolves lead the way, having previously been through those same hallways. Suddenly, two enormous doors swung closed, cutting the group in half.

Takai was the closest to the doors when they closed and the first to react. She glanced around at the figures that were still with her and quickly analyzed who they were missing. Toboe, Hige, Sasuke, and Sakura where still on the other side of those doors.

"No…" Kakashi's visible eye widened when he realized that his team had been split up. He was remembering the time when he told them that he would never let his comrades die.

"Sakura!" Naruto screamed and rushed at the door, repeatedly pounding on it with his fists.

"Not again…" Tsume sounded almost bored with the situation. Kiba grunted in agreement.

"Takai," Kakashi turned to the wolf, "how did this happen?"

Takai though, wasn't paying attention to what her sensei was saying, but instead her eyes widened slightly as she spotted the slowly closing pair of doors that were farther down the hallway. Moving swiftly, she went over to Tsume and swept him up in a deep, passionate kiss.

"I'm sorry, but I think I lied…"

In the blink of an eye she was gone again, slipping out of the doors right before they closed.

Kakashi's eye suddenly widened again and he hurriedly took off his pack and started riffling through it. He gasped when he was unable to find what he was searching for. "She took the bomb…"

* * *

Takai was in Jaguara's main dining hall. She was kneeling by the all too familiar orb in the center of the room, fumbling as she tried to hook up the small explosive she had stolen form her sensei. The orb… It had been where Jaguara had imprisoned Cheza when the Noble had kidnapped the delicate Flower Maiden. Takai loathed the thing.

Finally, Takai succeeded in getting the bomb to work. Small red numbers had appeared on the screen, counting down from ten minutes. As the numbers continued to decrease the bomb emitted small clicking noises, only audible to Takai's acute hearing.

The wolf sighed. "Now all I need to do is find that murderer…"

"Looking for me?"

Takai turned and her gaze fell upon Jaguara. The Noble wore a golden suit of armor and was standing in the open doorway.

"Jaguara!" Takai growled, not bother to hide her true self and changing to herwolf form.

Jaguara smiled. "Stupid little wolf, what do you wish to accomplish by coming here?"

Takai growled and then ran towards Jaguara. "Jaguara, you're going to die here, if it's the last thing I do!"

* * *

Koinu: Yes, I made Blue a good guy... girl... Wolf! Thats it, she's a good Wolf! Now remember to review! Thanks! 


	16. Memories

Koinu: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while! Blame the stupid Star testing! sarcastic And since my school has the second highest score in the state, it is my duty to do well! Yeah right! Do I care that property values go up if I do well? No! Well, that stupid test is over now, so I can go back to writing. Yay!

* * *

Takai growled and then ran towards Jaguara. "Jaguara, you're going to die here, if it's the last thing I do!" 

The Noble smirked and dodged Takai as the wolf leaped into the air. Yet Jaguara saw no need to use her sword on the snarling creature in front of her, so she kept her blade sheathed.

"Stop smiling and start fighting me!" Takai snarled.

"Have you come all this way," The Noble lady began, "just to rush to your demise?"

"I came here to destroy you!"

"Destroy me? Wolf, what is that I have done? I haven't stolen your Maiden from you, so what business do you have in my Keep?"

Takai snarled again and lunged at Jaguara, snapping at the Noble's neck. "You have taken the lives of hundreds of my kind, I won't let you get away with that!"

This time Jaguara took out her sword and used it to fend off Takai. The wolf dodged the blade and once again went after Jaguara, aiming her fangs at her enemy's thoat. Jaguara reacted quickly and brought the sword up to defend herself. Takai received a gash on her side.

"Is that all you fight for, or is it something a little more selfish, wolf?"

Takai once again went after Jaguara.

* * *

"_Hey Takai?" Naruto looked off into the distance. He and Takai were sitting on the roof of a random building, watching all the goings on of Konoha. The usually energetic shinobi sat with his legs up to his chest, his chin resting on his knees. He wore a serious expression._

"_Yeah Naruto?" Takai looked at Naruto, and seeing his state immediately grew concerned. "Hey, what's wrong?"_

"_Takai, you're my friend, right?"_

"_Of course!"_

"_Can I ask you something?"_

_Takai became curious. "What is it?"_

"_Why does everyone hate me?"_

_Takai was taken aback by Naruto's request. "Well…"_

"_Be honest."_

_Takai sighed, and pulled her legs up to her own chest, mimicking Naruto's position. "It's 'cause you're different. Because you're not completely human."_

_Naruto's voice became very quiet. "So you know about the Kyuubi? For how long?"_

"_Yeah, and ever since I met you."_

"_I still don't get why everyone hates me…"_

"_It's because they don't understand you. It's in the human nature to fear what they don't understand. It's also in the human nature not to show weakness, heck, it's in everything's nature not to show weakness, so they cover up their fear with hate. Eventually they make themselves believe that there is a reason to hate you, even when there isn't."_

"_Then why don't you hate me?"_

_Takai smiled slightly and emitted a small laugh. "Naruto, I don't hate you because we both have the same problem!"

* * *

_

Takai stood away from Jaguara. Her breaths were ragged and labored. Her body was covered with numerous wounds, but then again, so was Jaguara's.

"Why do you keep fighting, Wolf?" Jaguara asked coolly. "What have I done other than kill some of your kind?"

Takai growled and the fur on her back stood on end. She rushed at Jaguar and snapped at the Noble's ankles, only to be kicked to the other side of the room. Yet the determined wolf picked herself off the ground again.

"Jaguara, I'll tell you what you've done to earn my hate." Takai barked at her. "You sent those troops to separate me from my friends, you tried to open a fake Paradise, and you even tried to kill us and turn us against poor Hige. You stole everything I had from me."

* * *

_A blood red moon shone above Konoha, bathing everything in it's crimson light. Cheza stood outside the Village's gates, her equally crimson eyes staring up at the matching moon. Tears escaped those sightless eyes. Her once beautiful and joyous voice cried out in pain and sadness._

_Takai exited her house, her eyes showing weariness. It wasn't that sleep evaded her; she was the one evading sleep. The horrible nightmare had visited her again, just as it had everyday the prior week, and she was reluctant to view those images again. _

_With a sigh the wolf leaned against the side of her house. She took deep breaths to try and calm herself, but to no avail. She clamped her eyes tightly shut, yet the tears forced their way out to fall upon her cheeks. It didn't help that Cheza's sad song had reached her and was now ringing in Takai's ears. Wiping her tears away, Takai followed Cheza's song to where the Flower Maiden was._

"_Cheza…?" Takai began when she found the Maiden. "Cheza, what are you…" Takai's stopped as her eyes followed Cheza's gaze to land on the crimson moon._

_It was written in the Book of the Moon that a crimson moon would lead the wolves to paradise._

"_This One… Takai, This One misses the others…" Cheza said sadly. _

_Takai couldn't take it. She collapsed to the ground next to Cheza and in her wolf form howled her pain to the sky. Cheza once again began to sing her somber, wordless song and both of them sang their sadness.

* * *

_

"But what really pisses me off," Continued Takai, "is that you had the nerve to hire peasants to do your dirty work and kill my birth pack!"

Jaguara only grinned at Takai's obvious emotional pain.

* * *

"_Mama…?" A small Takai asked as she looked up at the larger, silver wolf sitting besides her._

"_Yes, Little One?" Takai's mother nuzzled the small pup as she replied._

"_Mama, why do the human hate us?"_

_Takai's mother stopped nuzzling her daughter so she could fix a questioning look on her pup. "They fear us, because to them we represent death."_

_-_

_Shots rang out in the once quiet forest. Wolves and human alike howled, in both pain and victory. The stench of blood filled the air. Takai's mother and father were the last wolves standing._

"_I… won't… let them… get you…" Takai's mother gasped as she stood protectively over her daughter. Takai's father growled but them suddenly slumped to the ground as another gun shot filled the air._

"_Papa!" Takai screamed as her father fell. But the young wolf didn't have time to morn for him before another shot was fired and her mother also fell._

"_No, Mama!" Takai's eyes were full of tears and she cried freely. All of a sudden she was lifted from the ground by the scruff of her neck._

"_Aw, how cute." The man who held Takai cooed. Takai whimpered; the man smelled of alcohol, sweat, and too much adrenaline._

"_Come on man!" On of the other men complained. "Just shoot the damn thing already!" _

"_Nah." The man holding Takai disagreed. "We already killed the rest of it pack. This runt won't survive without them. I say it'll be dead in a day or so." With that he threw Takai into a nearby tree, and then left.

* * *

_

"That was the worst thing that ever happened to me." Takai snapped.

"So I killed your family, your not alone, wolf." Jaguara said lazily.

"But that's not the only reason you need to die." Takai smirked as she went on. "You see, I have a dream."

* * *

_Naruto beamed as he proudly bragged. "Someday I'm gonna be the greatest Hokage! Yeah, I'm gonna put that old man to shame, and then everyone will start giving me the respect I deserve!"_

_Takai laughed as people in the ramen shop turned to glare at Naruto. _

"_Hey, what are you laughing at?" Naruto demanded._

"_I'm happy for you, Naruto, that's why I'm laughing." Takai explained. "But I can just see it now! That old man will never see what hit him, and then you'll be the Hokage!" This time Naruto joined Takai and both of them laughed, earning more glares from the customers in the ramen shop. _

_Just then the manager of the said ramen shop came up to them. "Um, excuse me, but I'm going to have to ask you two to leave."_

_Takai glared at the man. "Well, sir, we are enjoying ourselves, and have you forgotten that we are paying customers also." She gave Naruto a sidelong glance. "And I would like to order some more food for my friend and I." Takai stressed the word friend as she continued to glare at the manager. _

_The man gave one last glare at Takai and Naruto before turning and stomping back into the kitchen. "Two more Miso's!" He yelled as entered the cooking area. Both Takai and Naruto burst out laughing once again._

_Naruto gasped for air and clutched his sides as he laughed, but eventually he was able to stop. "So, Takai," He said once he got his laughter down to mild giggles, "what about your dream?" _

_Takai stopped laughing, but she was still smiling as she answered Naruto's question. "Well Naruto, I don't really know what my dream is… I guess I'll find out when it hits me!"

* * *

_

"Excuse me?" Jaguara seemed to be in shock. "How does having a dream change anything?"

Takai smiled, and fire burned in her golden eyes. "You'll see." The wolf ran at Jaguara and then leaped into the air. Jaguara brought up her sword and thrust it at Takai as the wolf was airborne.

The blade pierced Takai's heart.

* * *

Koinu: Yeah, so the those were little flashback things. They weren't in order, as you can see, but I really liked how this chapter worked out. Same deal as always people, Review! If you do I might just get the next chappter out sooner. 


	17. Rain

Koinu: Okay, I don't really want to talk right now, but I want to say thanks to all my reviewers --yells 'thank you' and hands out cookies-- and I even want to thank all of you who read but don't review, cause your still reading it, right? --hands out more cookies-- Oh, and just to let you know, this is the last chapter of this fic, yes, its the _**last**_ chapter! So, enjoy it while you can._

* * *

_

_The blade pierced Takai's heart._

* * *

Finally, Kakashi had been able to get everyone to work together and pry the doors separating them open. It had taken a while, but the task had been accomplished.

"Well, now that everyone has been reunited…" Kakashi began but was cut off by Sasuke, Sakura, Toboe, and Hige.

"Where's Takai!" They all yelled in unison.

"She went after Jaguara." Kiba said simply. "And she took the bomb with her."

* * *

Jaguara brought up her sword and thrust it at Takai as the wolf was airborne.

The blade pierced Takai's heart.

With a sickening sound the blade went strait through Takai, a foot or so extruding from her back. Jaguara laughed and then flicked her wrist, making Takai's body slide from the sword.

"Tell me Wolf," Jaguara questioned mockingly, "what was your dream? It must not have been that important, seeing as you won't be able to reach it now."

"Your… wrong…" Takai gasped. Suddenly, the wolf pulled herself to her feet and faced Jaguara. Her breathing was haggard and extremely labored, but Takai was alive, barely. "My dream means more to me than life itself."

Jaguara took a step back in shock, a step back towards where Takai had hidden the bomb. "What is it then, what forces you to live even when you should be dead? What is your dream!"

"My dream," Takai gasped through her pain, "is to protect the people I care about… And your in the way of that dream…" Takai smirked. "But not for long."

Behind Jaguara, the small light on the bomb changed from green to red, and then blinked a few times before activating.

In a sudden rush of flames the bomb exploded. Jaguara was the first to be engulfed by the inferno, followed by Takai, and then the rest of the room. Takai lay in the center of the flames, but her body felt nothing as she was consumed; she was already dead.

* * *

In the hallway where the wolves and ninja were gathered, the walls suddenly shook and the air range with the sounds of an explosion.

"No…" Naruto's eyes widened. "Takai… Takai!" He shouted the name of his friend as he rushed down the hall, only to be caught by Kakashi. But even then he continued to scream her name. "Takai? Let go of me Kakashi! Takai?"

"Stop it Naruto, there's nothing we can do now." Kakashi tried to reason with the young ninja.

"No! She had a dream too, you know! She was going to go to Paradise with her friends!" Naruto sobbed as he tried to pull away from Kakashi.

"Takai…" Tsume stumbled back and then fell to the ground. "Now I know what she meant…" He mumbled to himself. "When she said she lied… now I know what she meant."

Everyone was in shock, their emotions in turmoil.

Sasuke seemed to be the only one who could think strait at the moment. "Listen up!" He yelled above the confusion. "Soon this place is going to be swarming with soldiers. If we don't get out now then we might not get out at all! If that happens then Takai's sacrifice will have been for nothing!" The Uchila's word seemed to snap everyone out of their thoughts, and soon people were mumbling agreement. Even Naruto nodded in agreement.

* * *

A full moon glistened in the sky, surrounded, but not covered by dark, ominous clouds that covered the sky. The pale figure seemed to laugh at the turmoil it gazed upon as the people within the Dome cried out in fear and anguish. Yet, at the same time the moon seemed sad, as if in mourning over the loss of another wolf, another who could no longer sing to her.

Below the shining moon, outside the reaches of the Dome, were the shadowed figures of the friends of the late wolf. The moon's light played behind them, casting their shadows towards the crawling city; four were that of wolves, four that were of humans. The moon saw this and wept, fore there was one shadow missing, one that would not return to bathe in her light.

The moon was sad, and so she wept, and great rains fell from the skies. Tears of remorse fell from the heavens, falling upon the disheartened figures.

Suddenly, the wolves turned their maws to the desolate moon and let out a howl of grieving. The song was melancholy, and told of their lost friend. The wolf with the pelt of grey mourned the loudest.

The humans watched with watery eyes as the wolves cried, silent in their sadness. But one, one young, blond haired and blue eyed shinobi, who had within himself a fox demon that seemed to grieve as well, cried out as well. His own cried did not harmonize with that of the wolves, but they didn't stop him. It was good to cry.

_And so it ends…_ The wind whistled. _… And so it ends…_

* * *

Koinu: --Cries-- I can't believe I did that! --Cries some more-- Go ahead and yell at me if you want.

* * *

**_And so the Broken Howl comes to and end... Or does it...?_**


	18. And So

Koinu: Hello all. As you know, the Broken Howl has ended. But, there might just be a sequal. Hmm? Does that sound good? Well, don't hold your breath, because it might take a while for it to come out, if it come out at all.

Now, on another note, you may have noticed that there was no pairing in this fic, other than the slight Takai/Tsume. Just so you all know, that was actually unintentional. I didn't mean for that to happen. But, if there is to be a sequal, I would like to know;

a) Do you want there to be a pairing?

b) What should the pairing be? Takai/

And, I would like to thankALL my reviewers, and just let you know that I did not get one single flame. That is awsome, and you all are very good people for sticking with me through the course of this fic.

Thank you.


	19. I'm sorry

OMGWTFBBQ?!

People are still favoriting this and stuffs...?

Gah...

Okay, this story has so much wrong with it. Perspective is off, my spelling wasn't worth anything, and my character was Mary-Sue-ish (Takai has now been revamped and is no longer a Mary-Sue, thanks to meh friends). Along with other things... like the fact that I was fourteen when I wrote it. sheesh...

And there most likely will not be a second instalment to this... sorry. I just... I stopped reading the Naruto manga after numer 14, so yeah... I am WAAAAAAAAY behind. And I have no idea for a plot... If people wanna do their own story based offa mine, then fine... just don't use Takai. She's mine.

But the real reason I don't want to write anything more was because of all the flames I got. I have slight self confidence issues, and those were way worse back when I was posting this. A few just ruined the whole story writing thing for me... Whatever happened to "If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say it"?

meh... I've also moved on to bigger things, like writing competitions and stuff. I've won once... major fluke, I swear...

I might, MIGHT, end up re-writing all of Broken Howl... maybe place it in the third person perspective and fix my grammar and spelling erros... but I also might just leave it... it still kinda awes me to see an email in my inbox saying "Story has been Favorited" or something like that... so yeah.

Thanks to all who really liked this fic... It meant a lot to me at the time.

And I'm sorry for getting all your hopes up with the false bit about writing more... It may still be a possibility, but eh... most likely not...


	20. It is finally happening!

Its finally happening everyone!

Now that I'm an adult and my writing style has actually appeared, I'm going to rewrite Broken Howl. Its going to be slow going, though, because I plan to only rewrite one chapter a week... if that. I'm thinking about renaming it as well.

This rewrite is mainly just for the sake of me being able to actually read it again, because I gag whenever I read my old writing, and to fix some misspellings and tense problems and such. I also want to tie in more Wolf's Rain related things. Besides, Takai grew as a character a lot after I wrote this (she's actually going to appear in a novel I'm working on) and I want her to display her new, "true" personality a bit more.

And maybe I'll change the ending, who knows?

I'm looking for someone to help me with writing this- well, now writing it so much as just reading it over and making sure everything flows and all that good stuff. And, I stopped reading Naruto after about manga number 15, so yeah... I should get caught up a little... maybe...

Please give me some feedback, like suggestions for a new name (that isn't terribly different from the old one) and other things. And if you want to help with the reading over of the fic, then let me know as well.


End file.
